Out with a bang: German nuclear power station’s cooling towers are demolished in spectacular explosion
- The demolition took place at the site of the Philippsburg power plant, near the city of Karlsruhe
- The explosions were triggered shortly after 6am on Thursday in the south-west of the country
- Timing of the demolition was kept quiet to prevent crowds gathering amid coronavirus pandemic
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
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Two cooling towers which were part of a former nuclear power station in Germany were demolished in a series of explosions on Thursday.
The demolition, at the site of the Philippsburg power plant, near Karlsruhe, south-western Germany, took place just after 6am.
The timing of the explosions was kept quiet to prevent crowds from gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Stunning pictures and video show the moment of explosion and its immediate aftermath, with plumes of dust seen billowing into the air.
The Philippsburg plant’s two reactors, run by German firm EnBW, were shut down in 2011 and 2019 as part of Germany’s plan to exit nuclear power.
Two cooling towers which were part of a former nuclear power station in Germany were demolished in a series of explosions on Thursday
The demolition, at the site of the Philippsburg power plant, near Karlsruhe, south-western Germany, took place just after 6am
The timing of the explosions was kept quiet to prevent crowds from gathering amid the coronavirus pandemic
he Philippsburg plant’s two reactors, run by German firm EnBW, were shut down in 2011 and 2019 as part of Germany’s plan to exit nuclear power
Stunning pictures and video show the moment of explosion and its immediate aftermath
Plumes of dust were seen billowing into the air after the explosions at the site of the former power plant
Another camera angle shows one of the cooling towers as it plummets the ground and sends up a cloud of dust, seconds before the adjacent tower is toppled
Germany’s last nuclear reactor is set to go offline at the end of 2022. A transformer station that will help bring electricity generated from renewable sources in northern Germany to the country’s south will be built on the site of the towers
Out with a bang: A bird’s eye view showed the tower crumpling inwards as the explosions were detonated
A video of the demolition captured the incredible moment that the towers plummeted to the ground