Demolition of exhaust stack changes Stade skyline

PreussenElektra said the demolition by controlled explosion, in early September, was preceded by months of planning, technical preparations, and numerous coordination meetings. The work was carried out by a specialist company as a subcontractor of the Freimuth company. Around 100 invited guests were present to watch the demolition from a safe distance.

"I am pleased that the exhaust stack could be brought down safely and as planned," said plant manager Marco Albers. "My thanks go to the Freimuth company, which carried out the entire conventional demolition for us in a highly professional manner."

During its operational period, the exhaust stack was part of the Stade plant's exhaust air system. It carried the cleaned and continuously monitored exhaust air from the plant. With its demolition, one of the last distinctive structures on the power plant grounds has now disappeared. Only the steel sphere of the containment vessel, the office building, and disused warehouses remain.

With the successful demolition of the exhaust stack, the Stade plant is now one step closer to its decommissioning. The remaining visible containment vessel is also scheduled to be removed by the end of this year.

_{The demolition of the reactor building began in March. The demolished tower is in the background (Image: PreussenElektra)}

Stade was the first power plant in Germany to be decommissioned after the country announced a nuclear phase-out policy in 2003. The 640 MWe pressurised water reactor began operating in 1972. The plant operated at a reduced capacity from 2003 until the end of 2005, prior to its shutdown. Dismantling of the power plant began in October 2005. Conventional demolition of individual buildings on the power plant site started in 2023.

The first phase of the building dismantling was completed in spring 2024. It involved the demolition of 17 buildings with a total volume of about 177,000 cubic metres – including the administration building, the workshop and operations building, the emergency diesel generator building, the switchgear building, and finally the engine house. This work laid the foundation for the dismantling of the remaining central building complex. Aspects such as safety, environmental protection, and sustainability through material recycling were given top priority.

Phases II (involving five building complexes) and III (ten building complexes) have been running in parallel since 2023. The demolition of the reactor building began on 31 March this year.

The site is scheduled to be released from nuclear regulatory oversight in autumn 2027. This will make the Stade nuclear power plant the first commercially operated pressurised water reactor in Germany to be completely dismantled.