SWEDESBORO, NJ – The only thing New Jersey wants coal-fired is its pizza. That’s because the last operating coal-fired power plan in the state was demolished this weekend.
On Friday, officials gathered at the Logan Generating site in Swedesboro, to witness the implosion of the State’s last operating coal-fired power plant.
A wailing all-clear siren was heard in the distance around the coal plant at 10:58 AM. Witnesses watched in awe as Mr. Fiordasilo pressed the symbolic demolition button and the coal plant and tall stack were imploded into a sliding heap symbolic of the importance of the event.
Crews from Total Wrecking and Environmental LLC, a nationwide power plant demolition company imploded the 430-foot-tall stack and the 190-foot tall boiler that powered the station.
“We wanted to respond to the clarion call for aggressive decarbonization actions which is a major component of the Murphy Administration and the New Jersey Bureau of Public Utilities Clean Energy Master Plan,” said Himanshu Saxena, CEO of Starwood Energy, the owner of the plant. “Working with numerous stakeholders, we developed a win-win plan that created an early and permanent retirement of the Logan plant and resulted in one of the State’s single largest CO2 reduction measures. And now, in accordance with New Jersey’s Legislative Mandate to implement urgently needed energy storage for grid security and to accommodate and maximize the benefit of the huge influx of incoming renewable energy including from offshore wind, our company will work with Energy Management, Inc. to transform this site into one of the largest energy storage projects anywhere on the East coast.”
“The Logan demolition today marks the end of the coal era in New Jersey and a major step towards the state’s clean energy future,” said Ramón Cruz, President of the Sierra Club. “Battery storage will play an instrumental role in bolstering a clean grid, all without polluting our air or endangering the health of vulnerable communities. Sierra Club encourages other states to follow this example. By continuing to act now, New Jersey can be a national leader on clean energy and ensure a just transition for all.”