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Ibbenbüren Coal Plant Chimney Toppled in Controlled Demolition

The cleared RWE site now advances toward a summer handover to Amprion to build a converter feeding North Sea wind into the North Rhine-Westphalia grid.

Overview

  • Crews imploded the 275‑meter stack and two plant buildings on Sunday morning, leaving only the stair tower standing as planned.
  • Charges placed at three levels folded the chimney into sections, and officials said the operation proceeded according to plan despite low clouds and drizzle.
  • Hagedorn led extensive preparations and will process the rubble as it readies the remediated property for transfer to grid operator Amprion in summer 2026.
  • The new converter station is expected to enter service in 2031 to route offshore wind power into North Rhine‑Westphalia’s transmission network.
  • The demolition removes the last visible remnant of the RWE coal plant, which ended operations in 2021 after earlier blasts took down the cooling tower and boiler house in 2025.