Inverkip Power Station chimney set for demolition 28 July 2013 Last updated at 10:27 Demolition experts are set to bring down Scotland's tallest free-standing structure. Explosives will be used to topple the 236m (778ft) tall chimney at the former Inverkip Power Station near Greenock in Inverclyde. The chimney contains more than 1.4 million bricks and 20,000 tonnes of concrete, and is almost as high as Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. The operation will take place at 22:00 on Sunday. The chimney will be toppled by two controlled explosions taking place in quick succession. Before the blasts, a police helicopter will use thermal imaging equipment to ensure that no-one is in the vicinity. An exclusion zone of 600m will be put in place from 17:00, with debris expected to reach a maximum of 150m. About 70 police officers will be present, with a further 40 security staff based around the perimeter. After the demolition, Scotland's tallest free-standing structure will be the chimney at Longannet Power Station, which is 183m (600ft) tall. The Inverkip operation will mark the end of a power station which was never able to fully operate as intended. The oil-fired facility was given planning permission in 1970, and was designed to meet peak demand and provide flexibility to the electricity supply network. However, the soaring price of oil in the 1970s meant the station was never commercially operated - except in 1984 and 1985, as a result of coal shortages. The plant was kept as a strategic reserve until the late 1990s, when it was mothballed.