A 30-METRE-high structure at Inverkip Power Station is to be demolished this week by controlled explosion.

The air heater structure is made mainly of steel and was used to pre-heat air for the steam boilers to increase the efficiency of the power station.The structure involved is within the boiler house in a part of the building where the cladding has been removed (as pictured)

It will be demolished on Wednesday, the first of three similar structures that are to be brought down using controlled explosions. The further two demolitions are planned for late autumn. All three structures are located on the seaward side of the main boiler house.

Work has been ongoing for two years at the power station to remove equipment and structures from the site in advance of potential redevelopment. A proposal for a mixed-use development of up to 780 housing units and a possible mixture of small business units and shops is currently being considered by Inverclyde Council.

The full demolition programme at Inverkip is set to run for at least a further 18 months. The removal of the air heater will be managed by ScottishPower’s contractor Brown and Mason, and the controlled explosive demolition is set to take place at 3pm.

The oil-fired power station was built to meet peak demand and provide flexibility to the electricity supply network However, because of the soaring price of oil in the 1970s, the station was never commercially operated except during the miners’ strike of 1984/5 when it was required. The plant was kept as a strategic reserve until the late 1990s when it was mothballed.

Inverkip’s chimney is the tallest free-standing structure in Scotland and third tallest in the UK. It is 236m (778ft) high and contains more than 1,400,000 bricks and 20,000 tonnes of concrete.