Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Video: Record Implosion Fells Coal Plant Cooling Towers
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
April 27, 2019

Share

SOMERSET, Mass. — It took just a matter of seconds for two 500-foot cooling towers from Massachusetts’ last coal-fired power plant to be reduced to rubble on Saturday.
The controlled demolition went off as scheduled at 8 a.m. at the former Brayton Point Station in Somerset. Video showed the giant towers along Mount Hope Bay crumple to the ground and a large cloud of dust rise into the air.
The company said the hulking concrete structures were believed to be the tallest power plant cooling towers ever brought down in a controlled demolition anywhere in the world.

(Video courtesy of Herald News, Fall River, MA)

Coal Plant Site to be Converted to Wind Farm Facility

The plant had burned coal since 1963, though the cooling towers were not added until decades later. The facility closed in 2017 as environmental groups pushed for cleaner sources of energy generation.
The new owners of the property, Commercial Development Co., plan to turn the site into a multi-use facility mainly dedicated to supporting off-shore wind farms.

Long considered an eyesore by residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, many residents were happy to see the towers go and held demolition watch parties.
Long considered an eyesore by residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, many residents were happy to see the towers go and held demolition watch parties Saturday.
Ross McLendon, of Warwick, Rhode Island, told the Herald News of Fall River that he got his three children out of bed early so they could come and watch the event. But it almost happened too quickly.
“I wasn’t paying close enough attention to the time and missed the first few seconds,” said McLendon. “We came because it seemed like something fun for the kids to do. They had never seen an implosion.”
Spectators, who were kept a safe distance by authorities, crowded nearby streets and bridges to watch the structures fall. Helicopters, planes and drones flew overhead.
Some nearby residents had expressed concern about the implosion, wondering if it could cause dust contamination, but officials said they did not expect the dust to drift into nearby neighborhoods.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Trump Compares Russia and Ukraine to Children Fighting

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Four ICC Judges in Unprecedented Move

DON'T MISS

SpaceX Will Decommission Dragon Spacecraft, Musk Says as Feud With Trump Escalates

DON'T MISS

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

DON'T MISS

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

DON'T MISS

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

DON'T MISS

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

DON'T MISS

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Want Your Tips to Solve Taylor Washington Homicide

DON'T MISS

Derek Carr Explains Mysterious Retirement. He Didn’t Want to ‘Just Take the Saints’ Money’

UP NEXT

Mexico to Announce ‘Measures’ Next Week if No Deal on US Metals Tariffs

UP NEXT

Pressure Mounts on Netanyahu as Opposition Moves to Dissolve Parliament

UP NEXT

Dutch Government Collapses After Far-Right Leader Wilders Quits Coalition

UP NEXT

Gaza Ministry Says Israel Kills More Than 30 Aid Seekers, Israel Denies

UP NEXT

Nonprofit Ship Sets Sail for Gaza After Drone Attack Setback

UP NEXT

Israel Blocks Ramallah Meeting With Arab Ministers, Israeli Official Says

UP NEXT

Trump Amplifies Outlandish Robot Biden Conspiracy Theory

UP NEXT

Israeli Forces Open Fire a Kilometer Away From Gaza Aid Site, Killing 3, Health Officials Say

UP NEXT

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

UP NEXT

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

56 minutes ago

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

2 hours ago

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

2 hours ago

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

2 hours ago

Fresno Police Want Your Tips to Solve Taylor Washington Homicide

4 hours ago

Derek Carr Explains Mysterious Retirement. He Didn’t Want to ‘Just Take the Saints’ Money’

5 hours ago

What Do Valley Leaders Say About Trump’s Threat to Yank High-Speed Rail Funding?

5 hours ago

Were Cuts in Rooftop Solar Payments Legal? CA Supreme Court Hears Arguments

5 hours ago

Fresno Rainbow Pride Marks 35th Year with Saturday Parade and Festival

6 hours ago

Trump Compares Russia and Ukraine to Children Fighting

As Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, sat beside him watching in silence, President Donald Trump compared Russia and Ukraine to two...

45 minutes ago

45 minutes ago

Trump Compares Russia and Ukraine to Children Fighting

52 minutes ago

Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Four ICC Judges in Unprecedented Move

56 minutes ago

SpaceX Will Decommission Dragon Spacecraft, Musk Says as Feud With Trump Escalates

56 minutes ago

Erika Sandoval Gets Life Sentence in Notorious Tulare County Murder

2 hours ago

Israeli Military Strikes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs

2 hours ago

We Are Being Governed by the Trump Organization Inc.

Webster, GV Wire's Adoptable Pet of the Week, June 5, 2025
2 hours ago

Wondrous Webster Has the Makings of a Wonderful Family Member

2 hours ago

Trump Threatens Musk’s Government Deals as Feud Explodes Over Tax-Cut Bill

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend