After about two weeks of preparation, explosives were laid around the chimney's 15m base late this week, Blackhead Quarry drilling and blasting manager Paul Mollart said.
While up to 15 tonnes of explosive were used to dislodge rock in quarry blasts, only 10kg of Powergel would be used to topple the chimney.
Soil and one-tonne bags of saw dust would be placed around the charges to contain the blast, but nearby residents "would still hear a bit of a bang", Mr Mollart said yesterday.
Steel reinforcing was cut on one side of the chimney to weaken its structure and control the direction of its fall, a process he likened to cutting a wedge to fell a tree.
The company used an explosives design developed by Melbourne based consultant Nick Elith, who had 35 years industrial demolition experience.
Mr Mollart would not disclose when the demolition would take place, but said a siren would sound three times before the explosives were detonated.
The Otago Daily Times understands chimney demolition would take place at 8am.
"A lot of the work involves hazard identification and 99 times of 100 it goes well. We really have to guard against flying rock. It's not a spectator sport."
The site was isolated but people would be able to see the blast from near the Green Island side of the Southern Motorway.
The Burnside site was opened in 1929 by the Milburn Lime and Cement Co.
NZ Cement Holdings Ltd discontinued production at the plant (and was renamed Milburn New Zealand) in 1988.
