The 275-metre chimney and flue gas treatment facilities at the former Ibbenbüren coal-fired power plant have been demolished to prepare the site for Amprion’s future BalWin2 wind power converter station.
Hagedorn Group said the controlled blasting on 22 February marked a decisive phase in dismantling the plant, which it has been preparing since 2023 for Amprion’s planned project starting mid-2026.
It added that the reinforced concrete chimney was folded through three blasting zones at the foundation, 110 metres and 190 metres, breaking into several segments within the intended fall area.
Parallel blasting brought down the 60-metre FGD unit and the two 50-metre DeNOx units with a combined 600 kilograms of explosives.
“Today’s blasting not only marks an important milestone in this project, but above all shows the strong performance of our team,” said Bülent Akgöl, head of demolition at the Hagedorn Group.
“Months of preparation, maximum precision, clear safety standards and real teamwork were required here,” he added.
“The dismantling of the former Ibbenbüren coal-fired power plant symbolises the transformation of the energy world in North Rhine-Westphalia: coal goes, wind comes,” said Klaus Wewering, head of dc network projects at Amprion.
He stated: “We are building a converter here that will enable us to supply around two million people in NRW with renewable energy from the North Sea from 2031.”
Preparatory work included pre-weakening, drilling, separation and removal of around 2000 cubic metres of filling sand from inside the chimney, alongside construction of drop beds made from about 35,000 tons of waste materials.
A detailed protection concept was implemented, with cordons, evacuations within a 600-metre radius, coverings, scaffolding, safety nets and a container wall.
Dust suppression used around 170 pools with detonating cords creating a water wall to limit spread.
Thirty vibration measuring devices monitored impacts up to 1000 metres away as part of evidence preservation.
Around 150 specialists worked on the blasting, supported by about 100 police, fire and emergency personnel on the day.
Hagedorn said materials are being crushed, separated and recycled on site with a targeted recycling rate of up to 97 percent.
The company, which has owned the site since 2023, aims to complete construction-ready preparation by summer 2026 before handing the land to Amprion.
The fall of the final major structures follows earlier demolition of the boiler house and cooling tower on 6 April 2025.
Hagedorn said dismantling and land preparation will continue as the site transitions to its future role in the energy system.