Sizewell A turbine hall demolished as part of nuclear decommissioning project

The turbine hall previously housed two 650-tonne turbogenerators and two 90-tonne capacity cranes. (PHOTO: NRS)

The works were carried out by demolition specialist Erith, on behalf of Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and included the removal of more than 17,000 tonnes of concrete and rubble.

The turbine hall, along with the site’s fire station and electrical annexe, was dismantled following the use of controlled explosives to break up four large concrete plinths.

These plinths had previously supported two 650-tonne turbogenerators. NRS stated that using explosives reduced the schedule by four months and saved approximately £300,000 (US$405,000) compared to mechanical methods.

Alan Walker, Site Director at Sizewell A, said: “This is an incredible achievement for NRS, our contract partners Erith, the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

“I would like to thank everyone including those involved and our neighbours for their continued support throughout, as well as the ONR for enabling us to push the boundaries of innovation in conventional demolition together.”

Each of the four enormous concrete plinths that supported the turbogenerators were pre-weakened using explosives. (PHOTO: NRS)

Walker added: “The learning from this will be applied to other NRS projects to continue delivering efficient, value for money decommissioning and restoration of nuclear sites.”

The detonation used for the plinths, which was carried out by PDC Explosives Engineering, was the longest programmed explosive sequence in Europe and represented the largest use of explosives on a UK nuclear site to date.

The removal process was supported by two high reach excavators and included the dismantling of two 90-tonne capacity cranes, each weighing 65 tonnes, for recycling.

Recovered materials included 11,000 tonnes of scrap metal, which has generated more than £3 million (US$4.05 million) to date.

The concrete waste was crushed on site to a reusable specification. NRS reported a 95% recovery rate for construction and demolition waste.

David Rushton, NDA Programme Manager, said: “The successful demolition of the turbine hall brings skyline change to the Sizewell A site.

“The innovative use of explosives provides valuable learning for future decommissioning activities, and the segregation and reuse of demolition material supports the NDA’s sustainability targets.”

Recovered materials included 11,000 tonnes of scrap metal, which generated more than £3 million. (PHOTO: NRS)

Andrew Bull, the ONR’s Nominated Site Inspector at Sizewell A, commented: “We’ve worked very closely with NRS, adopting an enabling stance to allow the licensee to push forward with a modern, and at times, ground-breaking approach to accelerating this major dismantling project.”

He added: “We’ve been pleased to work with NRS in a constructive manner to regulate the ongoing clean-up of this important site – safely, securely and cost effectively.”

NRS is a subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and is responsible for decommissioning multiple first-generation nuclear sites across the UK.

COMING SOON: D&Ri special feature on the demolition of the Sizewell A Turbine Hall