Complex power plant dismantling in Moorburg

Removal from bottom to top

Since October 2023, the Hagedorn Group has been commissioned to dismantle one of the largest power plant sites of recent years at Hamburg-Moorburg. Extensive demolition equipment is being used, and the work requires precisely coordinated processes and a high pace of operations.

Following the blasting of the two 137-metre-high stacks in November 2024, dismantling continued with the electrostatic precipitators and the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) switchgear building. In March and April 2025, the two boiler houses were blasted; their structured removal is currently underway. The cooling tower has also been dismantled above ground. Its cooling-tower basin is now being used as a processing area for the resulting demolition debris. Most recently, particular focus has been on the coal circular storage facility. As the area was due to be handed over to a new-build project at the beginning of 2026, work there was carried out at a high frequency.

The dismantling method differed significantly from typical procedures: removal was carried out from the bottom up. Twelve columns were worked on in parallel and lowered step by step. Six heavy machines operated simultaneously in a coordinated setup. The tight space conditions and high density of machinery required detailed planning and precisely aligned workflows.

The well-rehearsed team on site ensured that, despite the complex conditions, all processes meshed reliably—an essential factor for Hagedorn in major projects of this kind. At the same time, openings were created through the foundations. The ring foundations, up to ten metres wide and around three metres deep, were separated using a wire saw and then broken out. This created space for new utility routes.

Hagedorn’s civil engineering team was also involved in this work step. It handled soil placement and the renewal of the underground infrastructure, including stormwater and wastewater pipelines, kerbs, road gullies and drainage channels.

On the power plant side, the massive coal conveyor bridges were dismantled in parallel. Here, Hagedorn worked with its in-house crane company WASEL. A 600-tonne crawler crane, a 650-tonne mobile crane, a 500-tonne mobile crane and two 150-tonne truck-mounted cranes lifted the heavy structural assemblies, detached them from the structure and then enabled their subsequent downsizing.

Hagedorn site manager Yannick Dölz highlights the scale of the project:
“Dismantling in Moorburg requires the full range of our demolition equipment—from 30- to 50-tonne class machines to equipment with more than 200 tonnes operating weight. What is crucial is the close coordination of all operations with the client and with the parallel new-build projects.”

In the coming months, the coal circular storage facility will remain the central focus. At the same time, removal of the boiler houses and dismantling work on the switchgear buildings and the turbine hall will continue.

The complete dismantling of the power plant is also the basis for the planned follow-up project: construction of a 100-megawatt electrolysis plant began last year as part of the Hamburg Green Hydrogen Hub.