World-record breaking demolition of Cottam Power Station

A constant landmark for over 50 years Cottam Power Station was finally erased from the horizon looking west from Lincoln yesterday when its cooling towers were demolished.

Demolition specialist Brown & Mason set a Guiness World Record for the most cooling towers taken down simultaneously with controlled explosives. 

The eight towers, each measuring 114m (375ft) were brought down in a matter of seconds using half a tonne of explosives.

The eradication of the eight towers was part of the phased clearance of the site – the 650ft chimney stack was demolished on March 20 this year.

The coal-fired power station opened in 1968 with a predicted lifespan of 30 years but was finally decommissioned by EDF Energy on September 30, 2019. 

It was capable of providing power to 3.7 million homes and employed 750 people.

Rikki Isgar, Explosive Demolition Manager at Brown & Mason told industry website Construction Enquirer: “Controlled explosive demolition is all about precision, not power.

“Bringing down eight towers together meant modelling every movement, understanding every force, and executing flawlessly.  There’s no second chance in this kind of work, and this achievement is a testament to the skill and dedication of the whole team.”

EDF says it is currently exploring options for the future use of the site to see how it can be best used to support the UK’s energy needs. Bassetlaw District Council has earmarked the site for regeneration and the proposals have included a ‘garden community’ for up to 1,500 homes once the land has been decontaminated.

Editor’s note: Our sister magazine the Lincoln Independent aired a video of the demolition of the towers on its SM channels yesterday, which were viewed over an unprecedented 40,000 times, so we can’t wait to see the reaction to Brown & Mason’s epic, choreographed video above.

At least our viewers yesterday saw the towers come down – we’ve had reports that hordes of spectators turned up to Ratcliffe-on-Soar Power Station. The cooling towers there are not due to be demolished for another five years.