37
d
&
ri
MARCH-APRIL 2015
D
idcotAPower Station is a coal and
gas-firedpower station that ceased
operation in early2013.Designed
by architect FrederickGibberd, construction
of thepower station, with its four 500MWe
generatingunits, was completed in1968.
Locatedon a 1.2km
2
(0.5mile
2
) site, themain
chimney is 200m (650 ft) tall, with six cooling
towers standing in twogroups of three on the
site at 114m (375 ft) each tall.
Colemanhas been involved in the
decommissioningofDidcotA for
approaching four years by the time
D&Ri
visited the site.
As the awardingof the contract for the
demolitiondrew close, Coleman recognised
that it needed to invest in equipment to
carryout thework and required additional
machines to carryout this heavy industrial
project. The companywent through aprocess
of tendering against a specification it had
preparedwith four recognised suppliers of
demolition equipment.With theneed for
sixmachines identified, Colemanwanted
maximum versatility and a class that could
carry specific toolweights. Liebherr emerged
as the supplier of choice, according to
managingdirectorMarkColeman: “because
itwas able to supply the full fleet, theway
wewanted itwithin a timescalewewanted,
all under theLiebherr banner from cradle to
grave, with every aspect of it covered, from
delivery through to service and support”
Three 956s, two954s and a 974 (seebox story)
madeup the final order thatwas placed.
Liebherr’sDarrenBennett saidof the
order: “The challengewewere givenby
Colemanwas to supply themwithmachines
thatwere a lotmore versatile than just one
machine for one tool, sowe cameupwith a
rangeof adaptations to allowus to take certain
shears at certainheights and certainweights
with the same connections that permits them
tobeused across the 956s, the 954s and also
the 974. Themaximum toolweight that can
beused is theLabounty7500with aweight
of around14 tonnes. This canbeused stick
mountedor thirdmembermountedon the
974, but it alsohas the versatilityof being able
tobeusedboommountedon the 954s and
956s.”
By the timeofD
&Ri’s
visit to the site, all
sixmachines hadbeendeliveredwith the last,
the 974, arrivingon site in early January2015,
and they arenow atwork tohelpColeman to
continue clearing the site.
ON SITE
The three southern cooling towers ofDidcot
Aweredemolishedby explosives on27 July
2014, with the implosion subcontractedout
byColeman toRobinson&Birdsell. Coleman
wanted thedemolition to takeplace between
Coleman&Company are
currently undertaking the
decommissioning and
demolition of Didcot A power
station in Oxfordshire, UK.
This long term project is one
of the largest ongoing in the
country.
D&Ri
visited the site
Big and
awkward
SITE REPORT
The power station from behind the
turbine hall, whichwill be the next
component of the structure to be felled.
In the background stands the 200m
chimney thatwill be the last to go
The four turbines and associated plant
andmachinery have been cleared from
the inside of the turbine hall
>
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