38
MAY-JUNE 2014
d
&
ri
SITE REPORT
T
he skyline of the harbour of Ghent has
long been dominated by the structures
that make up the Langerbrugge power
station, located alongside the canal that runs
from the city to Terneuzen. Construction
of the facility began in 1913 for NV stations
Electriques des Flandres.
Between 1946 and 1953, the facility was
extended to meet the growing demand for
electricity from the industries that had
established themselves in the area. The
station’s capacity was further extended on
two separate occasions to meet this increased
demand. However, the station eventually
ceased operation and was closed down
because it had become unprofitable.
AWAITING FATE
For a number of years, the shut-down facility
remained a major feature of the cityscape and
because of this, the decision-making process
to determine what was to happen to it proved
a lengthy one. Finally, it was determined that
a partial demolition be carried out and the
oldest part of the facility, built with bricks
and with a distinctive appearance, along with
its chimneys, be retained as a monument to
Ghent’s industrial past.
With various outbuildings on the site
cleared, demolition contractor Wanty SA,
based in Binche, Belgium, could begin the
decommissioning of the main structures
on the site, a task that has proven to be a
challenging, complex and heavy industrial
clearance project that demands the use of a
range of techniques. One main challenge is
the requirement to carry out the work without
causing any damage whatsoever to the
structure that is to remain standing on
the site.
For example, the decommissioning of
the turbines in the old turbine hall has to
be manually caried out using oxy-acetylene
torches. The sections of metal scrap that result
from this operation were then removed from
the hall and further processed by a Hitachi
A beast
let loose
The first outing for the new 88 UHD based on Rusch’s
original 100 m high reach was during the demolition of the
Langerbrugge power station in Ghent, Belgium. Gert-Yke
Rusticus reports for
D&Ri
The machine features a completely
redesigned undercarriage and a new suite
of software to control its boom functions
The reworked 88 UHD can carry a 10 tonne tool to
70 m – the Langerbrugge job is its first deployment
with partial telescopic extension capability
ZX870-3 mounting a Genesis GXP 1500R
scrap shear and a Hitachi ZX 470-3 also
mounting a Genesis scrap shear.
REACHING HIGH
Where the demolition of the tallest structure
on the site, a 60 m (197 ft) tall boiler house
containing a 4,000 tonne boiler and various
other heavy plant. It is on the demolition
of this structure that the 88 HRD is being
used sporting its 10 tonne Dehaco DSS
950R scrap shear following a period where
Wanty searched to find the most appropriate
equipment to successfully carry out the
work. Its ability to carry a heavy tool to the
required height and use it efficiently was the
key to its selection for the task. MQP Global
brought the machine on site and started the
mechanical demolition work at the end of
