Demolition of Westray Silos Set

The twin coal silos at the Westray mine site will be demolished Tuesday, Nov. 24, at 10 a.m., Transportation and Public Works Minister Clifford Huskilson confirmed.

The Westray mine site and surrounding area will be closed to the public on the day of the demolition. RCMP will be assisting the Department of Transportation and Public Works with security arrangements, and fire and emergency officials have also been asked to assist the operation.

Allsteel Coatings Ltd. of Port Hawkesbury, the primary contractor for decommissioning of the Westray mine site, subcontracted the U.S. firm Engineered Demolition to bring down the silos. A demolition procedure and safety plan was prepared and submitted to the Department of Labour, and final preparations to the silos are now under way.

Decommissioning work began at the Westray site in January 1998. Work was halted in March when plans to demolish the coal silos using a wrecking ball conflicted with regulatory height restrictions.