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Blog: Follow our coverage this morning of the demolition of the towers at Didcot Power Station + Watch the demolition + Audio interviews

  • The three cooling towers at Didcot A Power Station were demolished this morning, at 5am. It was a little later than expected but the detonation, caught on video in this blog, went pretty much to plan, RWE Generation executives said.
  • The cooling towers were demolished following the de-commissioning of the coal-fired power station last year.
  • Thousands of people ignored warnings and found vantage spots to watch the iconic towers, which have dominated the Didcot skyline across six decades, come down.
  • A plume of dust rose over the site but there have been no reports of it causing problems to either the spectators or the transport links.
  • There had been concerns about the time of the demolition making it too dark for spectators, but the slight delays meant there was enough light.
  • The lower part of one of the towers was not demolished, but RWE chief commercial officer Alan Robinson said this was not a major issue and it would be swept away by the contractors.
  • The three sister cooling towers at Didcot B were not demolished as that power station - which is gas-fired rather than coal-fired - is still operating.
  • Read through our blog below, as it captured the lead up and the demolition, and watch our video of the final moments of the towers. There are also pictures, audio interviews and tweets as Oxfordshire bade farewell to the cooling towers of Didcot A

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