Demolition, Decontamination Timeline Shortened At Former L’burg Power Plant

Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 6:27 AM

By Mike Perleberg (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The smokestacks at the former Tanners Creek Power Plant in Lawrenceburg will come crashing down in mid-March. St. Louis-based brownfield redeveloper Commercial Development Company, Inc. has been working to remediate and repurpose the 725-acre power plant property along the Ohio River since 2016.

Tanners Creek Power Plant Site Redevelopment Timeline

2015: American Electric Power’s Indiana Michigan Power retires the power plant. 2016: CDC purchases the power plant and real estate assets. ELT assumes environmental liabilities and post-closure obligations. 2017: CDC grants the Ports of Indiana a year-long due diligence period to explore the viability of using the site to build a major inland port along the Ohio River 2018: EAG completes assessment and development of plans to address environmental impact at the site and will finalist remedial action on coal ash storage facilities by late 2018. Industrial Demolition LLC should complete demolition of existing structures by the end of 2018, preparing the site for new development. 2019: The site will be regraded and repurposed for a port-related development on the 725-acre main site. The main ash pond will be capped. Source: Commercial Development Company, Inc. An announcement from the company Wednesday said that the felling of two remaining power plant smokestacks and one chimney is scheduled for Wednesday, March 14 at 9:00 a.m. Weather factors could delay the implosion. Citizens will be permitted to view the implosions. CDC says it will provide further information about watching the event closer to that date. Ports of Indiana last September entered an $8 million purchase agreement with CDC to begin a year-long due diligence process as it considers turning the property into a job-creating, economy-boosting inland port. “The implosion of the stacks at the former AEP plant is yet another step on the road to the realization of Lawrenceburg as the fourth port location,” said Mayor Kelly Mollaun. “On behalf of the City of Lawrenceburg, we embrace the progress on what is projected to be an incredible economic driver int he state of Indiana and the entire tri-state region.” Although it was eyeing 2021, CDC believes the site can now be ready for development, possibly as Ports of Indiana’s fourth port, by late 2019. The company cites the progress being made since the company purchased the power plant from Indiana Michigan Power in 2016. “I am very pleased with the tremendous progress out team has made at Tanners Creek – the efficiencies and work ethic they have shown throughout the process has shaved years off our original estimates and positioned the site for new opportunities faster than expected,” said Randall Jostes, CEO of Commercial Development Company. Much of the power plant’s main building has already been demolished, with the towers about the only remnant of the plant’s original skyline. About 98 percent of the plant is being recycled, according to CDC. Concrete from the fallen stacks will be crushed and used to backfill and regrade portions of the site. Environmental Remediation Continues CDC’s latest announcement says EnviroAnalytics Group, an affiliate company, has been engaged in a series of remediation projects to prepare the site for hew development. EAG is working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management on surveys, site analysis, coal storage cleanup, abatement and removal of asbestos and other wastes, and capping or removal of former coal combustion residual complexes. Most of those activities should be completed by the end of 2019, with all finished up by the second quarter of 2020. Public Comment Accepted For New Barge Facility On February 22, a public notice was published by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers by Tanners Creek Development, LLC, a subsidiary of CDC. The company has applied for a permit to construct a barge loading and unloading facility. In the request, the company plans to use existing mooring cells at the former power plant. An estimated 12 to 15 barges per week would arrive with coal fly ash, bottom ash, and wet scrubber byproducts from other power plants along the Ohio River. That material would be offloaded and used to fill the Tanner Creek Power Plant’s former settling pond. Once filled, the settling pond would be capped and closed. Once the pond is filled, the new barge facility would be closed and some features removed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on the barge facility proposal through March 26, 2018. Visit http://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Public-Notices/Article/1441217/lrl-2017-632/ for more information on the permit request and how to comment. RELATED STORIES: Ports Of Indiana Enjoying Growth In 2017 Ports Of Indiana Enters $8M Purchase Agreement For Lawrenceburg Site IBJ: Governor Continues To Back Lawrenceburg River Port Official Release: Ports Of Indiana Identifies Former Lawrenceburg Coal Plant As Site For Future Port Analysis A Year After Closing, Tanners Creek Plant’s Fate Undecided