The firm plans to demolish two cement hyperbolic cooling towers later this summer.
Video courtesy of FirstEnergy Corp.
FirstEnergy Corp., Akron, Ohio, has demolished three emissions stacks at the former Hatfield’s Ferry Power Station near Masontown, Pennsylvania, a milestone in preparing the 236-acre site of the retired coal-fired plant for future development.
On March 4, a specialized demolition contractor used strategically placed charges around the bases of the three stacks, safely bringing them down in a controlled implosion. The twin stacks immediately adjacent to the boiler house each stood about 700 feet tall. The other 540-foot stack, connected to the plant’s environmental scrubbers, was the only one in operation at the time of Hatfield’s closure in 2013.
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“The safe removal of the stacks is an important step in positioning this Greene County site for future economic productivity,” FirstEnergy Senior Vice President of Operations Samuel L. Belcher says. “Once demolition activities are complete, the site will feature attractive attributes for energy-intensive and water-intensive industries. Level tracts of vacant land along navigable rivers are a rarity in southwestern Pennsylvania.”
FirstEnergy subsidiaries will continue to own and maintain the site as an open grassy area until a use is identified. An operational high-voltage electric substation will remain at the site, which would give a future business access to power from the regional transmission network. The property also will retain a water intake structure on the Monongahela River.
Lapeer, Michigan-based North American Dismantling Corp. (NADC), the primary demolition contractor, began dismantling the sprawling plant last year and has made significant headway, removing smaller structures and ductwork. Steel and other metals are hauled from the site for recycling. Power-generation turbines and other equipment are being removed from the boiler house and other buildings for reclamation.
Demolition of the plant also will help eliminate a public safety risk. Break-ins and thefts have occurred at the plant, and trespassing could result in serious injury or death.
The plant’s two massive cement hyperbolic cooling towers are scheduled for demolition later this summer, followed by the boiler house in the fall. Demolition activities should be completed in early 2024.
FirstEnergy operates 10 power distribution companies, providing electricity to customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York.
