Surat: The 30-year-old cooling tower of the Utran power station in Surat was demolished with a controlled blast at 11:10 AM today. The RCC cooling tower was 85 meters high and 70 meters wide, and was demolished using a controlled blasting implosion technique that involved 250 kg of dynamite.

The demolition caused dust to spread across the surrounding area and the locals felt the tremors from the blast. The fire brigade and administration team were present at the time of the demolition.

The cooling tower of the Utran powerhouse was destroyed in just a few seconds due to the controlled blast. The powerhouse comprises two plants – one with a capacity of 375 megawatts and another with a capacity of 135 megawatts. According to the central government’s guidelines, the 135-megawatt plant is supposed to be demolished as it is old.

The state government commenced construction of the gas-based power plant in 1991, and the Gujarat State Electricity Corporation produced gas-based electricity through the 135-megawatt power plant until 1998 when production was halted due to a shortage of gas. The plant was declared scrap in 2017. DeshGujarat