The 275-metre chimney and flue gas treatment facilities at the former Ibbenbüren coal-fired power plant in western Germany have been demolished to prepare the site for a future offshore wind converter station, project partners said.
The controlled blasting operation on Feb. 22 was carried out by Hagedorn Group, which has been preparing the site since 2023 for grid operator Amprion’s planned BalWin2 project starting in mid-2026.
Hagedorn said the reinforced concrete chimney was felled through three blasting zones at the foundation, 110 metres and 190 metres, causing it to fold and break into several segments within the designated fall area. Parallel blasts brought down the 60-metre flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) unit and two 50-metre DeNOx units using 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 Hagedorn Group. “Months of preparation, maximum precision, clear safety standards and real teamwork were required here.”
Klaus Wewering, head of DC network projects at Amprion, said the dismantling reflects a broader shift in the region’s energy mix. “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,” he said.
“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,” Wewering added.
Preparatory work included removing around 2,000 cubic metres of filling sand from inside the chimney and constructing drop beds from roughly 35,000 tonnes of waste material. Safety measures included cordons and evacuations within a 600-metre radius, as well as scaffolding, safety nets and container walls. About 170 water-filled pools were used to create a water curtain to limit dust, while 30 vibration monitoring devices measured impacts up to 1,000 metres away.
Around 150 specialists were involved in the blasting, supported by roughly 100 police, fire and emergency personnel on the day.
Hagedorn said materials from the demolition are being crushed, separated and recycled on site, targeting a recycling rate of up to 97%. The company aims to complete construction-ready preparation by summer 2026 before transferring the land to Amprion.
The removal of the chimney follows earlier demolition of the boiler house and cooling tower in April 2025, as the site transitions from coal generation to its planned role in Germany’s offshore wind grid infrastructure.
