Uniquely, Alford Explosive Demolition develops, designs, and manufactures its explosive demolition products, making us the master of rebar cutting, structural demolition, and shaped charges.
Established in 1985 by Dr Sidney Alford, a true pioneer in explosive charge technology, our company has earned a formidable reputation as one of the globe’s premier innovators of explosive tools.
Thanks to this reputation, we were approached following the Didcot power station disaster to use our remote capabilities to safely demolish the remaining structure. The task’s success led to further companies contacting us, bringing Alford Technologies back into the demolition sector to use our explosive capabilities commercially.
We work in partnership with our clients to thoroughly analyse their explosive demolition project, delivering safe, efficient and compliant demolition designs. This includes advanced structural engineering analysis.
Being part of Alford Technologies means we can access the full range of Alford technology and equipment, allowing us to follow the BAST (Best Available Safest Technology) principle to ensure that there are no limitations on using the best technology at all times.
Our unique explosive range, Broadmead, enables us to test charges, develop innovative solutions, and meticulously plan how to overcome potential difficulties before stepping onto the project site. Our commitment to innovation and preparation sets us apart.
Safety is paramount, and our fleet of Remotely Operated Vehicles allows the remote placement of charges with humans kept well away from risk. With payload capabilities of up to 75kg each, the ROVs are robust enough for even the most demanding projects. We can also operate any remote construction tracked vehicle, such as Bobcats.
We know pre-weakening structures can be inherently dangerous, so we specialise in designs that remove redundancy without weakening them. Using explosive cutting charges allows final cuts to be done remotely as part of the demolition, removing the need for workers to do the most dangerous part of the job.
The Didcot Power Station project required the demolition of the remaining two boiler houses following the premature collapse of boiler houses one and two in 2016, resulting in the tragic death of four workers. The demolition of the remaining (deemed) unsafe boiler houses had to be achieved from no closer than 50m, allowing for the recovery of the bodies.
This HSE-imposed 50m exclusion zone and the fact that the whole site was a crime scene (no footage/images could leave the site) resulted in a totally unique approach: remote delivery of charges, remote connection of the charges, and then remote initiation—a feat no other demolition company could consider taking on.
On 17 July, we successfully collapsed the remaining structure in a controlled manner allowing the recovery process to commence.
Following a partial demolition (stand-up) of the Anglesea Power Station west of Geelong in Victoria, Australia, Work Safe Victoria (the equivalent of UK HSE) placed the structure out of bounds to all personnel. Thanks to the success of the Didcot demolition, Alford Explosive Demolition was engaged to assess whether a remote demolition was possible.
A recce determined that a remote/semi-remote approach would be viable, so the Alford team took on the challenge of a remote demolition over 8,000 miles from home.
In this case, the main challenges were logistics and dealing with Australian governance and regulation.
Achieved with minimal impact on the local population of Anglesea, the demolition allowed the site remediation to continue and the development of a water-based nature reserve to proceed.
Hazelwood Power Station — once one of the most polluting power stations in the world, burning 17,000 tons of brown coal daily — was decommissioned after 50 years of use. Contracted by Australia’s demolition giants, Delta, for Engie, our task was to safely bring down each of the eight 134m eight chimneys with explosives.
Bringing down eight chimneys of this height in one controlled explosion had never been attempted before, so it was an exciting challenge for us. Yet, the challenge became seemingly impossible when the Covid-19 pandemic prevented us from travelling the 10,555 miles from our UK HQ for the scheduled blowdown.
However, with help from our brilliant team in Australia, we were able to train them and complete the task remotely.
With all the chimneys falling into their allocated zones and an astounding 1.6 million people watching live globally, our successful demolition job became a global event, marking a significant milestone in the industry.