Power plant's cooling tower in Gelsenkirchen-Scholven is destroyed by explosion

Uniper to Demolish Cooling Tower at Former Scholven Coal Power Plant

Uniper, the operator of the planned hydrogen power plants at the site of the former Scholven coal power plant, will be dismantling the cooling tower "F" on Saturday, 05.09.2025, at 18:41. The tower, standing at 110 meters high, is not directly related to the power plant block that was kept in operation longer than planned.

Despite the ongoing operation of the power plant, the operation did not affect the cooling tower "F". A safety zone with a radius of 300 meters has been established around the cooling tower, preventing camera teams from entering the site on Friday. Two adjacent streets will be partially closed due to the demolition.

Residents have been informed in advance and are allowed to remain in their homes during the demolition process, but are not allowed to leave their homes. This is a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

The decision to dismantle the cooling tower "F" is not a direct result of the extended operation of the power plant block. In fact, Uniper is dismantling the power plant piece by piece, with the goal of creating space for new technologies, including power plants that could be operated with hydrogen in the future.

The energy crisis due to gas shortages in 2022, caused by the Russian attack on Ukraine, led to Uniper keeping a power plant block in operation for an extended period. However, the cooling tower "F" is not specifically mentioned as being affected by the energy crisis or the extended operation of the power plant block.

It's important to note that Uniper is not dismantling the cooling tower "F" alone. The operator is also working on dismantling facilities at other parts of the power plant.

This marks another step in the transition from coal to renewable energy sources at the Scholven power plant site.