Hundreds watch as San Diego power plant implodes
CHULA VISTA, Calif. (AP) - In a matter of minutes, a hulking power plant that loomed over San Diego Bay since the late 1950s was demolished Saturday, to make way for a city park.
The implosion - which had been months in the planning - turned the mighty structure into a heap of concrete and twisted steel.
Kayakers and other onlookers positioned themselves as early as 4 a.m. to watch the implosion of the 165-foot South Bay Power Plant and say goodbye to a bit of local history
The plant collapsed just after 7 a.m. after 200 pounds of charges ignited 300 pounds of dynamite strategically embedded in steel beams, UT San Diego reported. Ignition flashes could be seen in the seconds before the main towers toppled, seemingly in slow motion, sending up an enormous plume of dust.
A crowd of hundreds, including city officials and former plant workers clutching cameras, cheered from nearby Marina View Park.
Chula Vista Mayor Cheryl Cox told the newspaper the removal of the structure symbolizes a "dramatic and significant example of the progress being made by the city and the port on their plans for the waterfront."
Tanya M. Castaneda of the Port of San Diego, which owns the plant, said the $40 million demolition will dramatically open up bay views and make way for plans for a public park and economic development.
The plant was decommissioned in 2010. The implosion, originally slated for October, was delayed several times until it was finally scheduled for Feb. 2.
In the decades since San Diego Gas & Electric constructed the plant, it changed hands four times and went from burning fuel oil to natural gas, according to UT San Diego. At full capacity, at one time it could generate 700 megawatts - enough to power a half-million homes in Southern California.
Wow, just the opposite of Joni Mitchel's song "Big Yellow Taxi"
"They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
So. Cal is chronically short on power (that's why they buy power from the Pacific NW!) - so WHY are they demolishing a big power plant??? What are they going to do about replacing it???
 @musiclover Probably because it cannot be economically upgraded to meet new EPA standards. Oregon's only oil refinery stands idle for the same reason.
That was cool to watch!
And BOOM goes the dynamite!
With all that dust created, I sure hope there wasn't any asbestos or other toxic material released by the blast.
 @jpk They spent the past two years getting it ready for this by removing toxic materials and recyclables.
@knottriel OK then, but I know that many times asbestos in old buildings is not remediated prior to desctruction.
 @jpk  @knottriel An article I saw earlier today from one of the San Diego TV stations specifically said the asbestos removal took longer than expected and delayed the demolition for three or four months.
The city spent $40 million for this event? Wow! Wonder how much it cost originally to build it?
 @jpk Oh, and the $40 million was from the company that owned the plant itself.  The Port Authority is putting up money with the city of Chula Vista for the new park and development going in nearby (along with private developers).
 @jpk The Port Authority is not the city, and a lot of that is for environmental cleanup to remove the damage it had done to the site over the years.