INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. — Most of an Indiana County power plant has been imploded nearly two years after shutting down.
The implosion at Homer City Generating Station happened early Saturday morning. The smoke stacks came down first, one after the other. The cooling towers were imploded soon after. Half of one smokestack did not fall during the implosion. It wasn’t immediately clear when the remaining partial structure would be demolished.
Still, Homer City Redevelopment calls the demolition a success. In a statement, the company says:
“This morning, Homer City Redevelopment successfully completed the felling of the four stacks and three cooling towers that comprised the Homer City Generating Station, formerly the largest coal-burning power plant in Pennsylvania. While this ends one chapter, we are eager to start another and pave the way for a reimagined energy future at the Homer City site.”
This site was once the largest coal plant in Pennsylvania and was one of the region’s last operating coal-fired power plants. All of the units were decommissioned in the summer of 2023, with owners saying the decision to shut down was based on several factors, like the low price of natural gas, a large increase in the cost of its ongoing coal supply, unseasonably warm winters and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.
State Sen. Joe Pittman says once the site is cleared, it will “become the home of new economic prosperity for this area.”
“In the years ahead, I anticipate the local investment by national and international companies to be significant and reestablish Indiana County as a leading destination for our nation’s energy needs and support cutting edge technological advancements,” Pittman’s statement said in part.
Per Homer City Redevelopment, the area will be transformed into a new natural gas power plant.
Following the implosion, the Homer City Borough and Central Indiana County Water Authority tested its water, which is about eight miles from the implosion site, and found no contaminants. They’ll continue testing daily.
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