Incredible footage has emerged of one of the largest explosive demolition operations in the UK in the past 75 years. The mammoth Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) Plant in Teesside was be brought down by explosive demolition this morning (October 1).
The explosion saw 1.6 tonnes of explosives being used to level the 65-metre building. The demolition was made up of three blasts over a seven second period, bringing the 60,000-tonne structure down, reports Teesside Live.
Residents across Teesside have reported being able to hear the blast from miles away. One Redcar woman said they heard it there and a Skelton resident added: "I thought my roof had come off".
Everyone at the scene was trying to get the best view possible - knowing they would only have seconds to capture the sight. To prepare the parcel of land for the blowdown, a £25m project has been carried out over the past 12 months to pull down a series of large industrial shed buildings and seven tall chimney stacks that made up part of the 30-acre steelmaking facility.
Major plant items and equipment have also been stripped out from the facility to prepare it for demolition. When operational, molten iron from the Redcar blast furnace was transported to the BOS Plant via brick-lined “torpedo” tubes, where it was then refined to produce steel.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen said demolition is a 'bittersweet' event: "Each demolition of the former steelmaking structures on this site is a bittersweet moment as they have played such a huge part in shaping our communities, people and identity for decades.
"Ever since the SSI steelworks closure brought so much heartache to our region almost seven years ago to the day, this plant has laid dormant and unused. While we remember our past, we must never lose sight of the reason we’re doing this. I made a promise to build a better future for the people of Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool and today is another part of delivering upon that.
"We're already seeing that just a few hundred yards away, with construction under way on SeAH Wind’s huge offshore wind manufacturing plant – a £400million investment already creating good-quality, well-paid jobs for local people. It’s soon to be joined by Net Zero Teesside and the 5,500 jobs that will be created just to build the £1.5billion power plant with carbon capture, utilisation and storage.
"We're continuing to clear the way to bring more cleaner, safer and healthier industries of tomorrow, creating good-quality jobs for local people."
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