Six months in the planning, Lakeland power plant to be demolished

Total Wrecking & Environmental will implode a Lakeland power plant on Saturday, Jan. 14.

According to a news release, the Buffalo, New York-based company has been working to clear the Lakeland Electric C.D. McIntosh Power Plant site for the past six months. The work involves demolition of three massive, coal-fired units that have been in operation for more than 40 years.

The first implosion phase, the release states, involves the toppling of a 260-foot stack and 90-foot selective catalytic reduction unit.

Total Wrecking & Environmental, in the release, says the scope and complexity of the project are unprecedented, requiring a tremendous amount of resources, specialized crew members and surgical planning to ensure the demolition is performed safely and on time, as the project is being performed at an active working power facility.

“Total Wrecking & Environmental is thrilled to clear and restore a critical area within the Lakeland McIntosh Power Plant for a newer energy facility,” Total Wrecking & Environmental Founder and CEO Frank Bodami states in the release. “We’re excited to apply our unparalleled demolition expertise and clear the way for Lakeland Electric’s new gas-fired reciprocating internal combustion engine (RICE) power plant.”

Total Wrecking & Environmental, the release states, will provide a livestream of the implosion to people who donate to the Wounded Warrior project.

In March, the company will conduct a second controlled implosion to demolish the coal-fired hung boiler units that represented the nucleus of the station at the McIntosh Power Plant for Lakeland Electric.