Last explosive demolition of former Teesside Steelworks site today

Todays marks the final phase of a demolition programme at the former Steelworks on Teesside.

The Redcar Power Station, chimney stack, triple flare stack and gas holder will be brought down at around 1pm.

The Redcar Power Station provided electricity to the Steelworks at Redcar. It was fuelled from by-products of the iron making process in the Blast Furnace.

Its primary function was to provide cold blast air for the blast furnace.

Excess gas which came from the coke ovens and the blast furnace was used in the boiler heating process to generate more electricity.

Four blasts are expected to bring the facilities down in a matter of seconds. The demolition will be visible from Redcar beach.

Martin Corney, Teesworks chief executive, said: “This demolition programme has been a true team effort from start to finish. There’s still plenty of work to be done, but Thursday will mark a significant milestone in bringing the explosive programme to a close.

“We’ve come a long way – the programme has taken two years when the original masterplan said it would take at least five. This has saved the taxpayer millions of pounds.

“It has also opened the door to us pumping millions of pounds into the remediation of hundreds of acres of land at no cost extra cost to the taxpayer.

“It will all go towards bringing important job creation through new green energy projects and generating yet more interest in this unique site. This is only the start.”

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