The chimney at EDF's La Maxe thermal power plant was demolished early Sunday morning. The A31, located less than 500 metres away, was briefly closed in both directions due to the accompanying debris.
EDF, the French state-owned electric utility company, announced that the chimney at its La Maxe power plant, located 5 km of Metz, was demolished on Sunday. The demolition began at precisely 9.30am.
The event drew many curious onlookers to Chemin du Patural in La Maxe, where the commune had set up an ideal vantage point 300 meters from the demolition site to ensure a safe view of this “explosive” show.
Instead of a dramatic explosion, the chimney fell like a 'felled tree'. A specialised engineering firm made the calculations and opted for this 'felling' technique. The base of this 3,500-tonne concrete-and-steel structure was weakened to ensure it toppled gently to the east after the charge was detonated.
Standing since 1971 on the edge of the A31, the 140-meter-high chimney was the tallest structure in the Metz region. After 44 years of service, it has now been demolished as part of the closure of the coal-fired power station.
To avoid motorists being startled by the detonation or the chimney's collapse, traffic on the A31 was completely cut off in both directions for about under ten minutes.