Using three big blasts of explosives that shook the ground and could be heard from across the Ohio River, it took all of 90 seconds to bring down the four towering power plant stacks that once served Kenneth C. Coleman Station in Hawesville.
Coleman Station is a coal-fired power plant located on the Ohio River in Hawesville on a 762-acre site. The 443-megawatt power plant began generation from its first unit in 1969 and later expanded to three units.
Big Rivers idled the plant in 2014 following the load loss from two aluminum smelters. The demolition process began in early 2021.
After nearly a year of careful dismantling and moving operational equipment, Big Rivers contractors took down the three original stacks (each 300 feet tall) and one newer stack (450 feet tall). Other Coleman structures will be imploded and dismantled through September 2022.
“It’s just bittersweet because these plants have provided good jobs for a lot of people in the area, provided energy for all the industry and homes in the area,” said Big Rivers CEO Bob Berry. “But now we’re going to repurpose the site. It’s already got water, electricity, sewer, rail access, water access, so it’s going to be just a great economic development site. We’ll repurpose it and make something very positive out of it.”
Other Coleman structures will be imploded and dismantled through September 2022. Dismantling the turbine buildings, boilers, stacks, and grading work will continue. Environmental remediation work will continue until complete and the site qualifies for brownfield status, allowing future industry to one day utilize the property.
Big Rivers plans to work with county and state economic development groups to market the property and attract new industry to the site. The finished property will feature immediate access to water, electricity, natural gas, mooring cells, a barge unloader, and a warehouse.
