- Currently about 200 people, 75% local, are working on the dismantling process, which is 42% complete.
- The demolition of the chimney, one of the most complex features of the demolition, required the use of 151 Kg of explosive which were placed a double height to enable the infrastructure to fold down.
- In addition to the chimney, a 48-metre-high metal structure supporting the Group 2 absorber ducts has also been demolished. The two detonations generated about 13,000 tonnes of waste that will be comprehensively assessed.
- The dismantling of the Litoral Thermal Power Plant is part of a European project (ICEBERG) in which 35 European companies from 10 different countries are involved, and which aims to maximise waste recovery as a result of prior studies and analyses that ensure the recovery processes will be efficient even before they take place.
- As a support to the dismantling of the power plant, Endesa has been organising training courses since 2022 to encourage the training of specialised personnel and is promoting projects for the industrial development of the area.
Today Endesa demolished the chimney and one of the metal structures supporting the absorber ducts of Unit 2 of the Litoral Thermal Power Plant, another step in the process of dismantling the installation that will be completed by 2025.
"This dismantling process we are undertaking does not represent a farewell but the beginning of a new era of hope that will see the creation of employment and wealth for the area. This space now occupied by the plant will be used to ensure a sustainable future for Carboneras through reindustrialisation projects that maintain Endesa's historic commitment to this environment," said Rafael Sánchez Durán, general manager of Endesa in Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla, who witnessed today's blasting first-hand.
Endesa's General Manager for Andalusia, Extremadura, Ceuta and Melilla made these statements surrounded by the authorities and institutions present at this historic event, including the Government Delegate of Almeria, Aranzazu Martín, the Government Deputy Delegate, Jose María Martín and the current Mayor of Carboneras, Salvador Hernández.
Technical Challenges of Blasting
Today's demolition was a technical challenge because of the characteristics of both infrastructures. It required the design of a specific procedure with the aim of guaranteeing conditions of absolute safety and effective demolition. This same prevention is being applied in all the processes that make up the dismantling and demolition work of the plant.
"The use of explosives is the safest procedure for demolishing slender and special structures, as long as the environment allows it," explained Beatriz Muñiz, head of Endesa's thermal dismantling projects. "In the case of the demolition of the chimney, the process was even more complex and all the variables were taken into account, including the dynamics of the blast, the sequence, direction of fall, measures to mitigate the effects, monitoring of vibration and security measures for all the affected elements and structures."
The demolition of the reinforced concrete chimney at the thermal power plant, which is 200 metres high with a base diameter of 19.5 metres that narrows to 12 metres at the tip, required the use of 151 kilos of explosives because of its dimensions and location. For the first time, these explosives were placed at two different heights, at ground level and at 96 metres. This was in order to fold the trunk in two, like a hinge, so that the fall zone was reduced by half, minimising the effect on certain infrastructures that needed to remain operational while the dismantling operations were completed.
This demolition required the use of 380 electronic detonators to activate the explosive charge and they were placed in the structure using distributed drills to direct the fall in the planned direction. A safety radius of 400 metres has been set in the project.
As part of this safety measure, and one second before the chimney was blasted, they demolished the metal structure supporting the absorber ducts in Unit 2, 47.8 metres high, and 6 pillars which required 15 kilos of dynamite, 34 linear-cut charges and 49 detonators.
Both demolitions generated approximately 13,000 tons of waste (mostly concrete), which will be managed in accordance with environmental regulations. This waste will be recovered on site applying circular economy criteria to be used as filling material, with prior assessment to verify that it is inert. The scrap iron from the reinforced concrete and the metal structure will be assessed for later use.
To minimise the impact from dust resulting from the explosion, they not only watered the area where the chimney was to fall but also installed a network of water curtains and a mist cannon in the direction it would fall.
Dismantling work as a European case study
The Litoral Thermal Power Plant was operational for more than four decades and a deep-rooted link was created with the area. Once Endesa disconnected the plant in 2021, the process of dismantling and the development of a future plan for the area began.
The dismantling and demolition of all the buildings and equipment of the plant is 42% complete, and involves an investment of more than 83 million euros. Currently, more than 200 professionals are working directly in this process, 75% of them coming from the surrounding area, while it is estimated that almost 200 indirect jobs are being generated.
The work is being done in partnership with the Lecalde Joint Venture, formed by a company from Biscay, Lezama Demoliciones, a specialist in industrial dismantling, and a company from Almería, Caldererías Indálicas, after winning the tender as a result of a technical and financial proposal which included a strong commitment to maintaining local jobs.
With this in mind, Endesa organised training courses to train people from the area around the plant in workplace risk prevention for dismantling and operational work in industrial installations. Training courses were also organised for Solar Panel Installers, and in the Operation and Maintenance of renewable energy installations with a view to opening up future job opportunities in the renewable energies sector which is booming.
A total of nearly 1,000 hours of training were given to 252 people from the area around the plant, in fact, 87% came from Carboneras itself. 85% of them were unemployed and 25% women in compliance with the objective of the training agreement to improve the employability of the staff most directly affected by the closure, who are from the plant's surrounding area, and to promote the employment of women. Those who received training included 39 people working on the dismantling, in other words, 14% have currently obtained qualified employment with Endesa.
Another of the initiatives included in the Shared Value Creation Plan that Endesa is promoting within the context of the closure of its plants is the donation of equipment, furniture and certain elements of the installation that remained in good condition after the closure of the plant and which are getting a second life which reduces the amount of waste generated and contributes to the circular economy.
A total of 10 transfer agreements have been signed with local entities and bodies of different kinds: These include both primary and secondary schools and the University of Almeria, a consortium from the Levante Almeriense fire brigade, the town council and local businesses. A total of more than 1,000 items have been donated that are now finding new life in different contexts, away from what was their home for 40 years.
From an environmental point of view, a selective demolition system is being applied to segregate and identify the nature of each of the 222,000 tons resulting from the demolition. In order to reduce the effects on the environment as much as possible, an environmental monitoring plan has been implemented with special attention to emissions and discharges during the execution of the works.
This whole process is the result of participating in a European study (ICEBERG - = Innovative Circular Economy Based solutions demonstrating the Efficient recovery of valuable material Resources from the Generation of representative EBM) in which 35 companies from 10 different countries are collaborating and which aims to establish more precise waste recovery before it is produced.
The study is being conducted in six locations throughout Europe but the Litoral Thermal Power Plant is the only one in Spain. It specifically involves the assessment of the construction materials for the electrical maintenance building, consisting of two 8-metre concrete floors and a constructed area of 402 m2.
To do this, first of all, the building has been 2D scanned. Once this work had been completed, the entire dismantling process was undertaken with the application of the principles of selective demolition. A prior study of the building's materials made it possible to improve separation at source and the management of final waste. The percentage of waste recovery in the case study was 80%, with a forecast to increase this value to more than 90% at the end of the management of all waste. This confirms the success of the study in the case of the Litoral plant.
Data with regard to the power station
The Litoral Thermal Power Plant was built within the framework of the Accelerated Plan for Coal-Fired Plants drawn up in 1979 to cover the need to increase electrical power as a result of economic development experienced in Spain. The infrastructure is located in 1,788,547 square metres in the municipality of Carboneras and consists of two generation groups generating a total of 1,159 megawatts of power. Each of these groups consisted of boiler, turbine and alternator as fundamental equipment.
Group 1, with a capacity of 577 megawatts, began commercial operation in 1985 and group 2, with a capacity of 582 megawatts, in 1997. During its useful life, the installation generated more than 180,000 GWh, that is, the energy consumption of Andalusia for 4 and a half years and became a benchmark when, in 2014, environmental improvements were made that put it at the forefront of this technology worldwide.
The plant has a Port Terminal, with access for maritime traffic in the Mediterranean and North Africa areas. Its activity began in 1985, after an investment of about €123 million for construction, for the purpose of unloading coal for the Litoral Thermal Power Plant.
In 2014, and as a result of an agreement with the Port Authority of Almeria, investment was made to provide the Port Facility with a system that enables ships of between 10,000 and 15,000 tonnes of capacity to be loaded for transport to other Enel group plants in the Mediterranean, which represented an increase in the fuel handling operations to be undertaken in the storage facility.
These characteristics and its geographical location make it a unique place to receive deep-draft ships from anywhere in the world. A total of 79,480,191 tons of solid bulk have been handled since its construction.
The Litoral Thermal Power Plant has also hosted innovative projects including a microalgae plant, the restoration of tips with native species and a battery storage project.
These projects have currently been relocated to continue operations. This is the case of the microalgae plant that remains with the grounds of the plant, but the area it occupies is being expanded.
About Endesa
Endesa is a leading electricity company in Spain and the second largest in Portugal. It is also the second largest gas operator in the Spanish market. It undertakes end-to-end business including the generation, distribution and retailing of electricity. It also offers electric mobility services, where it is one of the main operators of charging stations in Spain, and, through the Endesa X brand, value-added services aimed at the electrification of energy uses in homes, companies, industries and Public Administrations. Endesa is firmly committed to the United Nations SDGs and strongly supports the development of renewable energies through Enel Green Power España, the digitalisation of grids through e-distribución and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Endesa Foundation is also active in CSR. Our team totals around 9,000 employees. Endesa is part of Enel, Europe's largest electricity group.