As a symbolic act of switching to "green hydrogen" instead of fossil fuels, a large cooling tower of one of two French coal-fired power plants has been destroyed by a planned remote detonation. This was reported by UNN with reference to Le Figaro.
Details
The tallest tower at the Emile Huschet power plant in Saint-Avold (Moselle) was blown up at around 11 a.m. on Sunday, a symbolic step in the facility's conversion from coal to hydrogen. Within seconds, cooling tower number 5, which was about 120 meters high, collapsed in front of hundreds of spectators.
Moselle TV:
According to Jean-Michel Mazaler, head of GazelEnergie, the company that operates the plant, about 200 people, including pyrotechnics and police officers, were mobilized to eliminate the "lightning".
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For reference
Emile Houcher is one of two coal-fired power plants still operating in France, along with Cordemais (Loire-Atlantique).
Both are preparing to switch to biomass.
However, at the end of 2022, Emile Huschet was restored to ensure the country's supply amid energy tensions.
The St. Avold facility is to be transformed into an "eco-platform": various projects are being prepared, such as Emil'hy (in honor of Emile Huschet and hydrogen), which is designed to produce low-carbon and renewable hydrogen through the electrolysis of water by 2027.
Engineering studies are currently being finalized. By 2030, the project aims to reach a total capacity of 400 MW and produce 56,000 tons of hydrogen per year. To date, investments in the project amount to €780 million, with the initial priority being to supply the German steel mill Saarstahl Holding Saar (SHS), located near Emile Huchet.
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Recall
France intends to step up research on natural hydrogen with significant funding under the France 2030 investment plan, as announced by President Macron, who also emphasized accelerating efforts to decarbonize energy and industry.
During his New Year's address to the nation at the Elysee Palace in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron , recalling the reforms implemented over the past year, said that the 2024 Summer Olympics should bring effective results.