Residents across northern Tasmania felt their homes shake this morning as explosives brought down part of the old Bell Bay Power Station.
Hydro Tasmania used 28 kilograms of explosives in a controlled blast at 8:50am to demolish the power station’s control building.
The impact was felt as far away as Beauty Point, Beaconsfield, Kayena and Hillwood.
“Wow my whole house shook… What was that?” one resident posted on social media, while another wrote: “So that’s what the bang was. Scared the hell out of me and the dogs.”
The demolition targeted a 24-metre-high, 63-metre-long control building at the facility, about 10 minutes south of George Town.
Hydro Tasmania project manager Connor Knight said electronic detonators were programmed for precise timing to ensure a safe collapse.
“The team did a stellar job. Work like this requires a huge amount of precision and preparation and the team carried it out expertly,” he said.
“The demolition might look quick but there are a lot of steps in the leadup to the explosion. It marks a significant step in the repurposing of the Bell Bay Power Station site.”
Strict safety measures were in place, including a 400-metre exclusion zone monitored by trained sentries and traffic controllers, while Marine and Safety Tasmania set up maritime restrictions.
Built in 1971, the power station is being cleared to make way for ABEL Energy’s $1.2 billion Bell Bay Powerfuels green hydrogen and methanol project. Preparation works began in April last year.
The boiler building is scheduled for demolition in September, with all works expected to wrap up by early 2026.
For now, the station’s distinctive 110-metre smokestack remains standing.
