Now you see it. Soon you won’t.
When the St. Johns River Power Park started producing electricity in 1987, its 1,264-megawatt coal-fired electric generating plant was considered state-of-the-art technology.
Now it’s obsolete.
The plant, co-owned by JEA and Florida Power & Light Co., closed Jan. 5 and is scheduled for implosion at 8 a.m. Saturday.
JEA said closing the plant, which consumed 4.5 million tons of coal a year, reduced its carbon footprint by 30 percent.
For 2½ months, Total Wrecking & Environmental LLC has been preparing to implode the two 464-foot-tall concrete and steel cooling towers at 11201 New Berlin Road.
There are no designated viewing areas for the public.
Here’s a Q&A with Total Wrecking about the demolition:
What are the details of the demolition and the implosion?
Inside the cooling towers was a PVC honeycomb-shaped material supported by concrete columns and beams. To prepare for the implosion, Total Wrecking removed that material for recycling. Hammer drills were used to bore 3,800 holes for explosives. The areas of the shell where explosives will be loaded on the inside were covered with chain link fence and geotextile fabric covers the outside. The work took more than 10 weeks. The holes will be loaded with a total of 1,500 pounds of dynamite and wired with more than 12,000 feet of detonation cord and 3,800 blasting caps.
What factors do you consider to prepare for the implosion?
The location of holes is designed to cause the controlled failure of the structure, so that gravity will take over and the structure will fall in the direction intended. The placement and amount of explosives is the proprietary work of Controlled Demolition Inc. The frequency and spacing of the holes and amount of dynamite in each hole is determined by the thickness of the concrete and the amount of reinforcing steel.
How will the debris be recycled?
The towers contain more than 100,000 tons of concrete and nearly 4,000 tons of reinforcing steel. The concrete will be crushed for reuse as construction and road base. Plans are to recycle 99 percent of the debris.
How do you control the dust?
As many as five dust-control machines, known as “Dust Boss” and “Monsoon” machines, will be set up. The machines blow streams of finely misted water several hundred feet high to capture and knock down dust.
What safety measures will be in place?
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and a private security firm are being used for road closures and security.
How many people involved in the demolition are former JEA employees?
There are about 20 former JEA employees involved. Total Wrecking and APTIM are the primary contractors working for JEA. APTIM was retained by JEA as the construction manager to oversee the plant decommissioning.
How many people are involved in the demolition?
So far, more than 100 employees of contractors and subcontractors are involved. That number can fluctuate from 30-200 at any given time.
What roads will be closed during the implosion?
A section of New Berlin Road will be closed from Faye Road to Port Jacksonville Parkway. Parts of Island Drive and William Ostner Road will be closed. The roads will be closed from 6:45 a.m. until 9 a.m. JSO will be controlling road closures.
Other than media, who will attend?
Total Wrecking and the nonprofit Dreams Come True have partnered for a charity auction to “push the plunger” on implosion day. Dreams Come True will issue VIP badges to up to 100 people. The money raised will be used to fulfill the dreams of area children with life-threatening illnesses. The auction deadline is 5 p.m. Friday. For more information, visit dreamscometrue.org.
