Iconic Athlone Towers was Successfully Demolished in Just Eight Seconds | Western Cape Government

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Iconic Athlone Towers was Successfully Demolished in Just Eight Seconds

21 August 2010

The Athlone Cooling Towers, affectionately known as the 'Two Ladies of Athlone' were successfully demolished today, 22 August 2010. Thousands of Capetonians looked on and cheered as the two iconic towers disappeared within just eight seconds.

The towers were imploded at 11:56:23 - about 3.5 minutes earlier than the expected time, taking some of the onlookers and television viewers by surprise. The implosion took place earlier than planned after the blaster considered a number of technical factors and took the decision to go ahead in the interests of public safety.

Demolishing large structures such as the Athlone Towers is a complex and technical process. A long checklist must be completed, the demolition experts must weigh up all aspects and ultimately decide on the final timing. Just before noon, perimeter monitors around the three hundred metre (300m) exclusion zone reported that their areas were clear and safe. The weather changed, and a thundershower was imminent. Charges are set off electrically so less water is preferred. There was an increase in wind speed and strong winds could have loosened the connections to the explosive devices. All of these considerations meant that an earlier demolition was preferable.

A further contributing factor was the post-blast assessment. The demolition company uses advanced high-speed cameras to capture the blast from all angles in order to assess the success of each implosion. These cameras are not as effective in wet weather, and a decision was made to detonate the charges before the rain became harder.

The City extends its apologies to any members of the public or the media who may have missed the blast. It was not the intention to surprise anyone and no mistakes were made. The blaster made a decision which was in the best interests of public safety - this is ultimately the most important factor.

The blast itself went off very well, with all charges detonating as planned. The towers were reduced to a pile of dust and rubble within a mere eight seconds. The dust cloud cleared quickly and the site is already being cleared.

The Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato, pulled a ceremonial lever just as the blaster detonated the charges. This lever was not connected to the charges themselves and did not dictate their time of detonation. Instead, the blaster's detonation of the charges dictated the Mayor's simultaneous action.

Many residents braved the cold, wet, windy conditions to witness the milestone event firsthand. The City's public viewing sites were well utilised. The Pinelands Sports Grounds accommodated eight thousand (8 000) people for the viewing, while Rhodes Memorial filled up hours before the demolition. The roads in the area were congested, as expected, but were reopened to traffic by 13:00. By 14:30, traffic was completely free-flowing.

The demolition attracted major media interest. The City provided a designated area for the close-on two hundred (200) local and foreign journalists, photographers and video production companies. Local radio stations had outside broadcast units on site.

A media release issued by the Cape of Good Hope (CoGH) Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) stated that they were prepared to receive a flood of lost and stray pets today as a result of the Athlone Cooling Towers implosion. "We were concerned that many animals would become injured in their attempts to escape the loud bang as they are able to hear a wider range of sounds than humans can (around seven times louder). We are relieved that only twenty six (26) animals were taken in by the SPCA," said CoGH SPCA Chief Inspector, Andries Venter.

Of the twenty six (26) animals taken in, four were surrendered to the SPCA by their owners, three dogs and a cat admitted for sterilisation, and the rest were strays collected in the areas surrounding the towers prior to the implosion.

All animals were admitted to a temporary holding facility manned by SPCA volunteers at the Langa Sports Field, which enabled the animal rescue team to keep the animals safe until their owners reclaimed them. No animals were claimed and were taken to the SPCA in Grassy Park.

In preparation for the implosion, the SPCA visited homes in the surrounding areas on Friday 20 August to advise pet owners of how to protect their animals. Together with the City's Pound Officers, the SPCA patrolled the affected areas from 07:00 today to collect stray animals and protect them from the potential negative effects of the blast.

Future of the site
Many are now curious about the future of the site, which should be cleared of rubble within one month. As land is scarce in Cape Town, the City is considering all possible options to best utilise this site in the future. The Athlone Power Station is no longer operational and will be decommissioned in due course. It is important to note that the decommissioning of a power station and redevelopment of a site is a lengthy process and Capetonians will most likely only see complete redevelopment of the site in three years or more.

The City's Spatial Planning and Urban Design Department have been working together with appointed consultants to test the feasibility of developing the site. A number of scenarios, ranging from doing nothing to completely clearing and redeveloping the site have been tested.

To determine what Capetonians think should happen to the site, the City undertook an extensive public participation process during which the possible scenarios were explained to interested parties during public meetings held in May this year. A broad range of options were presented and the rationale behind these options was discussed.

The planning concepts were largely well received by the public. The comments, concerns and ideas raised at the public meetings were recorded and will be incorporated into the final feasibility work.

Another round of public engagement will take place during the next phases of the project, when the necessary statutory processes of environmental investigation, rezoning and subdivision take place.

The Spatial Planning and Urban Design Department are currently in the process of finalising the report on the Feasibility Study and concluding the consultant's appointment. It is anticipated that these reports will be ready to table before the relevant Council committees for consideration toward the end of this year. This will conclude the pre-feasibility investigation phase of the project and, dependant on the Council decision, work will commence on the next phase of the project.

Issued by:
Communication Department
City of Cape Town

Media Enquiries: 

Pieter Cronje
Director
Communication
City of Cape Town
Cell: 082 465 4965