Explosion at Dutch power plant

A huge explosion at a biomass power plant in the Dutch city of Nijmegen has closed off parts of the city. No one has been hurt in the incident which […]

A huge explosion at a biomass power plant in the Dutch city of Nijmegen has closed off parts of the city. No one has been hurt in the incident which happened early this morning.

The blast happened at the biomass and coal co-firing Gelderland plant (pictured) owned by Electrabel a subsidary of GDF Suez.

Early reports said five to seven workers at the plant were missing but Dutch police have confirmed everyone is accounted for.

Residents tweeted they heard a huge bang at 7am local time with one saying:”Thought a meteor came crashing down on our house this morning. Turned out to be an explosion at nearby power plant”. Parts of the city have been closed off and residents have been told to keep their windows closed.

Dutch media have reported an Electrabel spokesman confirmed there was an explosion in one of the boilers, which blasted a hole in the side releasing steam. It is not clear if there are any dangerous elements in the steam.

In 1995, the Gelderland plant  became Europe’s first co-fired power station to generate biomass and coal sourced electricity. Earlier this year there was a huge fire at npower’s Tilbury biomass power plant.

 

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