Pennsylvania power plant implosion damages several nearby homes

The implosion of the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, Pennsylvania, has caused some damage to nearby homes.

Controlled Demolition Inc. (CDI), headquartered in Phoenix, Maryland, performed the implosion at the shuttered coal-fired power plant June 2. According to a report from the Associated Press, a blast of air and dust from the implosion of two smokestacks at the Cheswick Generating Station felled some power poles, which damaged some homes nearby.

CDI says the smokestacks fell where they were supposed to and noise and vibration levels were below allowable state environmental protection limits, according to a report from KDKA-TV, Pittsburgh, regarding the implosion. The larger smokestack’s steel liner focused air pressure as it collapsed upon impact, though, CDI tells KDKA-TV.

The Associated Press reports that the air blast broke windows and blew dust from the fallen stacks into homes. It also felled several power poles and their wires, leading to a power surge that damaged electrical appliances such as stoves, furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators and TVs.

CDI tells KDKA-TV it has started to repair minor damages caused by the focused air pressure from the implosion and has promised to fully complete the repairs to the satisfaction of each property owner affected. CDI did not provide Construction & Demolition Recycling with an update on this when contacted June 6.

According to the Associated Press, the Cheswick plant stopped making power in the spring of 2022 and has been taken over by an environmental remediation firm.