Thousands of people
gathered to watch the demolition, which happened at noon.
The
149m-tall chimney stacks had dominated the local skyline for the past 50 years.
The
power station, which generated 150 terawatt hours of electricity every year at
its peak, was decommissioned in March 2013.
Each of the chimney
stacks had 150 holes drilled in it, which were then filled with explosives. The
power station's turbine hall was also demolished, with the boiler house due to
come down at a later date.
The
"button press", which started the demolition of both chimneys, was
carried out by East Lothian resident Donald McCulloch, who won a charity
raffle.
An
exclusion zone was in place from 09:00 to ensure that the demolition was
carried out safely.
A
flotilla of boats gathered in the Firth of Forth to watch the demolition, with
many more people gathering at surrounding vantage points, including Portobello
Beach.
The safety
restrictions covered the Greenhills, sections of Edinburgh Road and the John
Muir Way, as well as extending into the Firth of Forth.
There
were also traffic restrictions around the power station from 07:00.
The
twin chimney stacks were constructed in time for the coal station opening in
1967. The turbine hall structure is predominantly made of steel.
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