Kwinana Power Station: Old power station goes off with a bang, as demolition works begin in Perth’s south

An old southern suburbs power station has gone off with a bang, with authorities using “small explosive charges” to safely detonate an old boiler.

Demolition works at the former Kwinana Power Station began on Sunday morning, with a 750m exclusion zone in place for several hours.

The explosion — contained by several shipping containers — was felt across the Perth metropolitan area, including parts of Roleystone, Harrisdale and Byford.

Synergy chief executive Kurt Baker said one chimney stack had been removed, with works already underway to remove the second.

“The old Kwinana coal-fired power station has been a landmark in this area since the 1970s and it is exciting to see the careful work underway to transform this site,” he said.

“In addition to the deconstruction of the old coal-fired power station underway, there are three gas fired generation units and two of Synergy’s battery energy storage systems already operating on site which are enabling more renewable energy to be stored and using during peak periods.

“The careful deconstruction and decommissioning of the old Kwinana coal power station will enable future reuse of the site.”

Oakford local Aaron Pike said he felt shock-waves through his home, but didn’t know what it was.

“It shook everything; the window’s shook, I’ve got a drinks cabinet that shook, the TV shook,” he told 7NEWS.

“It stopped everything, because we were mid conversation, and everything stopped, we were like, ‘What was that?’”

Originally built in the 1970s, the Kwinana Power Station was in operation until 2015.

The project is expect to be complete by the end of 2027.