Scotland's tallest free standing structure is set to be demolished.

Energy company ScottishPower has confirmed the 778ft chimney stack at the former Inverkip Power Station site, near Greenock, is due to be demolished by an explosive charge later this month.

The demolition has been scheduled for 10pm on Sunday 28 July after a series of discussions with the local authority, police and railway companies.

The removal of the chimney stack at Inverkip will mark the end of a power station that was never able to fully operate as intended. The oil fired power station was granted planning consent by the Secretary of State for Scotland in March 1970, with construction beginning in October of that year of a station consisting of three 676 MW units, with a total generating capacity of 2028 MW.

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The station was designed to meet peak demand and provide flexibility to the electricity supply network, but due to the increasing price of oil in the 1970's, the station was never commercially operated except during 1984/85 when it was required to operate due to coal shortages. The plant was kept as a strategic reserve until the late 1990's when the plant was mothballed.

Dylan Hughes, ScottishPower Project Manager, said: "The demolition plan for the chimney stack at Inverkip has been taken following months of discussions with experts including vibration specialists, explosives engineers and ecologists. We have also been working closely with the Police and Inverclyde Council and the relevant railway authorities to ensure that the event will be managed safely."

Inverkip's chimney is the tallest free standing structure in Scotland and the third tallest in the UK.

It is 236m (778ft) high and contains more than 1,400,000 bricks and 20,000 tonnes of concrete.

(JP/CD)