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Smoke Stack at R.E. Burger Plant in Dilles Bottom Comes Down

Photo by Scott McCloskey

DILLES BOTTOM — The 854-foot-tall smoke stack at the former FirstEnergy Corp. R.E. Burger plant split in two as it collapsed to the ground after a series of small explosions at 8:30 a.m. today.

“Everything went exactly as planned,” FirstEnergy spokeswoman Jennifer Young said, as the dust cloud began to clear after the 10-second event.

Numerous interested onlookers watched the demolition from both sides of the Ohio River, while there were also watch parties taking place at Dilles Bottom’s VanDyne’s Family Restaurant and at Moundsville’s Grand Vue Park. Another group of observers stood on a hill above the Ohio 872 exit.

Ron McDowell, senior geology researcher for the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, said the demolition would likely generate a shockwave similar to a sonic boom, while creating ground tremors as far as five miles from the collapse of the colossal structure.

Although the ground certainly shook and the wind could be felt from thousands of feet away, the blast seemed to be in control. Tulsa, Okla.-based Dykon Explosive Demolition performed the detonation with 450 pounds of explosives.

Contractors removed excess concrete and rebar during the past few weeks in preparation for the explosion. Dust suppression systems consisting of large fans and water sprayers surrounded the buildings to help contain the concrete and dust particles resulting from the fall.

Young said contractors built the tower in the early 1980s, while the adjacent 171-foot-tall boiler house opened in 1955. The coal-fired power plant was mostly retired in 2011.

FirstEnergy officials removed the Burger stack for potential new development. For perspective, at the now-closed American Electric Power Kammer plant in Marshall County, the two shorter smoke stacks have not been used since the 1970s, but still stand.

Many in the Upper Ohio Valley were excited to watch the historic event with hopes it will facilitate development of the multi-billion-dollar PTT Global Chemical America ethane cracker, while at least one retired coal miner sees the demolition as a negative sign for the already stressed industry.

“I am very excited to see it. I think it will be interesting to see how it goes,” Heather Winters, a waitress at VanDyne’s, said Thursday.

However, Powhatan Point resident Charles Armann looks at the demolition as a sign that coal-fired electricity generation is under attack. Previously operated by the former Ohio Edison Co., the coal-fired Burger plant became part of the FirstEnergy Corp. generation fleet via a corporate merger in 1997.

“I do not think it should happen,” he said of the closure and subsequent demolition of the Burger facility,” Armann, a retired coal miner, said. “Everywhere you look, power plants are closing, mines are closing. It is bad now, and it seems to be getting worse.”

In 2009, FirstEnergy officials said they planned to convert the Burger plant into a facility that would burn biomass agricultural waste for electricity. The projected $200 million project was part of the company’s response to reduce system-wide sulfur dioxide emissions to comply with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards. However, this never came to fruition, as FirstEnergy officials eventually determined this was not economical.

“Today’s demolition is an important milestone that supports future development of the Burger facility,” FirstEnergy Executive Vice President James H. Lash said. “We are working with state and local officials, Jobs Ohio, and PTT Global Chemical America to support use of this property for a proposed cracker plant that will bring a vital manufacturing base to (Belmont County) — and many employment and business development opportunities to the region.”

Last year, developers with Thailand-based PTT Global Chemical confirmed they hoped to build the giant ethane cracker on the Burger site and some additional acreage to the southwest owned by Ohio-West Virginia Excavating.

“I would like to see the ethane cracker come. We need something like that to get people back to work in this area,” Armann said.

Since officials with Royal Dutch Shell confirmed plans to build their giant petrochemical plant near Monaca, Pa., anticipation for the PTT project has continued building.

“Ever since we heard about the one in Pennsylvania, people have gotten even more excited,” Winters said.

PTT Global Chemical America spokesman Dan Williamson said the demolition is another step in the right direction for developing the potential ethane cracker.

“It is a crucial part of FirstEnergy’s effort to make the site ready for future industrial estate development,” he said.

Williamson said PTT is now awaiting permits from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to proceed with the cracker project. The company plans to make a final investment decision in the first three months of next year.

“Hundreds of permanent jobs will be created once the plant is running. Additionally, a complex of this size will no doubt create a multiplying economic effect in the nearby communities,” Williamson said. “The petrochemical complex will employ a wide range of professions.”

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