Telangana Genco Sets Record with Controlled Implosion of KTPS Cooling Towers

Hyderabad: The Telangana Power Generation Corporation Limited (Genco) set a record by demolishing eight discarded 130-metre-tall cooling towers of the Kothagudem Thermal Power Station (KTPS) in Palvancha on Monday.

The demolition was completed within six seconds, said Anand Sharma, director of a Rajasthan-based company which executed the demolition. The demolition was carried out using controlled implosion technology.

The towers were a part of the old units of the KTPS (O&M) complex — four of them were constructed around 60 years ago, while the remaining four were built around 45 years ago. They were shut down a few years ago after they outlived their service period.

The electricity supply in the area was stopped during the demolition and an iron mesh was set up around the towers to avoid the spreading of their debris.

The cooling towers were used to control the heat generated during power generation with coal. Of the eight towers demolished on Monday, four were constructed between 1966 and 1967, while the remaining four were built between 1974 and 1978.

Earlier, two cooling towers — one 100-metre high and another 120-metre high — were demolished in the old KTPS plant.