Dredger fell success

The first of the dredger demolition works carried out on Thursday October 15, at the Hazelwood Rehabilitation Project proved a success.

Dredger 11 came down a little after 10am with the key objectives of the demolition realised. The main outcome, a safe and successful fell, was achieved with Dredger 11 on the ground.

All of the blast cutting charges were fully expended with no misfires. A thermal imaging sweep conducted by drone after the controlled collapse showed no issues with hot spots. The immediate geotechnical surveys also showed no issues and batter stability throughout the mine was not compromised.

A smoulder was identified later in the afternoon of the dredger 11 demolition but was quickly addressed. Post-blast monitoring continued for a further 24 hours to ensure the overall area has not been impacted for batter stability.

The second of the dredger demolition works carried out on Thursday October 29 at the Hazelwood Rehabilitation Project proved another success. Dredger 10 came down a little after 10am with all key objectives of the demolition realised.

The dredger fell as planned onto a sand and clay dampening pad, which was set up to reduce any potential vibration impact.

The focus of ENGIE and the demolition contractor Delta Group now switches to Dredger 9, which is scheduled for demolition in the next few weeks.

All dredgers once demolished will be processed and the material recycled.