The south Douglas landscape has changed, following the demolition of one of the three MEA storage tanks at Pulrose Power Station.

The last trace of Tank One, which was built more than 50 years ago has now been removed.

Mike Newby, Plant Engineering Manager, explained: ‘Tank one served the power station well over the years, but during a recent maintenance review of our gas oil tanks it was identified that the tank no longer met the stringent requirements for gas oil tanks.

‘The review also revealed that it wouldn’t be economic to repair the tank to these standards. In addition, Pulrose Power Station no longer needs as much storage capacity for gas oil, thanks to the diversity of fuel supplies that are now in the Island following the construction of the natural gas high pressure supply and subsea interconnector cable.  Should further capacity be required, the demolition and reinstatement of the ground will ensure fuel levels on the remaining tanks can be increased, if needed at some point in the future.

‘The MEA is committed to maintaining a fleet of high integrity oil storage tanks that are maintained to modern standards, ensuring the continued protection of the local environment. Taking all this into consideration, it was decided to dismantle the tank.’

From an aesthetic point of view, the removal of Tank One has enhanced the view from ‘The Bowl’ stadium.

Removal of the tank was carried out by Island-based contractor JCK.

MEA Chairman Eddie Lowey MLC said: ‘It’s the end of an era in some ways, but given the requirements now in place for storage tanks, and the fact that we no longer need as much capacity, the decision was quite straightforward. We’d like to thank the team at JCK for their fine work on this project – JCK is an example of the excellent service and quality provided by many Isle of Man firms in this sector.’