PCI plant at Teesside's former steelworks to be destroyed in explosive demolition

The facility was built in 2013 and blew finely powdered coal into the centre of the blast furnace to make the steelmaking process more efficient. Credit: Teesworks

A major plant which boosted steelmaking is to be demolished on Teesside.

The Pulverised Coal Injection (PCI) plant, near the Redcar Blast Furnace on the Teesworks site, is set to be brought down in an explosive demolition on Wednesday 19 October, from 9am.

This continues a spate of destroying relics of steelmaking on Teesside following the closure of the SSI Steelworks in 2015.

Earlier this month the Redcar Basic Oxygen Steelmaking Plant was brought to the ground in what is thought to have been one of the biggest explosive demolitions in decades.

The PCI facility was built in 2013 and blew finely powdered coal into the centre of the blast furnace to make the steelmaking process more efficient.

It worked by reducing the amount of coke the blast furnace required.

This, in turn, meant more iron ore was put into the process which meant more liquid iron from the bottom of the furnace, increasing in production from 8,500 tonnes per day to 10,500 tonnes.

It is also understood the £37million plant paid for itself in its first year of operation through efficiency savings.

Teesworks said they considered selling the plant for parts, but this did not prove to be a viable option. Credit: Teesworks

Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said: "As ever, being able to build at Teesworks and move forward with investors means we have to knock things down first and this is our next demolition to deliver.

"We’re on track to bring down all major former steelworks sites before the end of this year – and the terrific progress being made has seen us unlock hundreds of acres of land for development.

"This is one of the biggest, most complex and condensed demolition programmes to ever take place in the UK.

"But rest assured, this effort will be rewarded as thousands of good-quality, well-paid jobs in the cleaner, safer and healthier industries of the future begin to rise from this rubble."

Previous efforts to sell the plant ended due to "limitations" around its warrantee and the plant's insurance, a spokesperson for Teesworks said.

Plans to sell the the PCI plant for parts was also not a "viable option", they added.

Workers from local firm Thompsons have spent months cleaning the plant ready for its weather-dependent demolition on Wednesday.  

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