Saturday, September 29, 2007

Nuclear towers blown up

The four cooling towers at Calder Hall in Cumbria, the world's first full-scale nuclear power station, have been demolished. Hundreds of people gathered to watch as the 88m-high towers on the Sellafield site were detonated in pairs at 0900 BST and five minutes later.

A massive cloud of dust blew over the Irish Sea as they came down. The towers, which had stood for 50 years, were regarded as a major part of Britain's industrial heritage.

Their dismantling, part of Calder Hall's decommissioning, comes more than four years after electricity generation ceased at the site. It is the first part of a plan to decommission the complex, comprising 62 buildings, which was opened by the Queen on 17 October, 1956.

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