P. Olesen A/S is to demolish the Esbjerg power plant – a large and demanding construction project that will circulate up to 99% of the materials
P. Olesen A/S, owned by NG Nordic, has won the turnkey contract for Ørsted's decommissioned coal-fired power plant in Esbjerg and the redevelopment of the 150,000 m2 port area. The project will take approximately two years to complete and includes dismantling the plant, a 74-meter-high boiler building, and the iconic 250-meter-high stack. Ørsted will then return a vacant and fully restored area to the Port of Esbjerg.
The turnkey contract is a technically complex and demanding project that places high demands on safety, planning, traceability, and circularity: “We are particularly focused on minimizing the risks of the project for both the employees involved in the demolition work itself and the neighbors in the area,” says Director Peter Olesen from P. Olesen A/S.
The project also focuses on sorting and circulating as many materials as possible with a view to direct reuse, recovery, and utilization, particularly of concrete and iron. “Giving the materials new life is a goal in itself, and we expect to be able to circulate up to 99%,” says Peter Olesen.
Stack requires
The demolition of the 250-meter-high stack requires special expertise that is not available in Denmark. Therefore, the stack is being demolished in collaboration with Italian specialist DESPE, which is using its patented demolition method, Red-O-Ring, to environmentally clean up and dismantle the stack from the top down from a closed platform. The last 55 meters are being removed using P. Olesen's own ultra-long-armed machine: ‘The Bumblebee’.
“The demolition of the Esbjerg plant and the restoration of the port area is an excellent example of our ambition to contribute with sustainable solutions to complex challenges in cities and industry,” says CEO Urban Reuse Are Strøm, NG Nordic.