The Garigliano nuclear power plant (Sessa Aurunca, Caserta) completed the dismantling of the water tower yesterday, another step forward in the decommissioning and safety of the Campania facility.
The tower was a cylindrical concrete structure that, at 72 metres high, had characterised the site's skyline up until then, recognisable from its top where the toroid-shaped tank was located, containing the plant's industrial water for a capacity of 280 cubic metres. The structure, which no longer complies with the most recent anti-seismic regulations, was replaced in the past with a new water supply system, which is used for the ongoing decommissioning operations.
Demolition operations, which began on 30 October, were carried out by Sogin and its subsidiary Nucleco. The demolition technique used was diamond wire and disc cutting, performed with the aid of a crane, proceeding from top to bottom with the progressive sectioning of the structure into reinforced concrete blocks, each weighing less than 10 tons. Although it is a conventional building, Sogin and its subsidiary Nucleco adopted the same criteria used in the nuclear sector for dismantling operations to ensure maximum safety, precision, reduction of generated noise and dust, and the absence of vibrations.
The demolition has produced a total of about 1,900 tons of material, of which 1,700 tons of concrete and 200 tons of metal parts, which, after the necessary radiometric checks, will be sent for recovery, in accordance with the principles of a circular economy.