Demolition of Salem Harbor Station begins

SALEM It all begins with B5. Or ends, depending on how you look at it.

Demolition began at Salem Harbor Station Wednesday afternoon, with crews first setting upon one of the power plants 11 steel tanks. The work was supposed to begin Monday, but it was delayed by the lightning storms in the area.

Workers on site said they were thrilled the plant is finally hitting the demolition milestone.

Its been a long time coming, said Lou Arak, project director.

B5 is a large oil tank between the plants former coal pile and Derby Street. The process to demolish it involves cutting off pieces with a claw tool on a long-reach excavator. The tool is used both to slice sections of the steel and then grab them out of place.

It can actually shear like scissors would, Arak said. When you pull it, itll pull across the weld lines.

Before workers could get that far, they had to tear open an entrance in the retaining wall that surrounds the tank, so the excavator could get in. This was also done with the excavator. The wall will remain in place while the tank is coming down, as it blocks noise.

The pieces of tank will be stored on site temporarily and then transferred to a barge at the plants former coal dock, from which theyll travel to a steel recycling facility.

The beginning of the demolition comes after a cleanup phase that saw a small group of workers disconnect electricity, drain oil from machines and perform other tasks in the weeks immediately following the plants shutdown at the end of May. Demolition will focus first on the sites southerly portions, an area populated by tanks and the massive coal conveyor.

Before they can be dismantled, the tanks have to be thoroughly cleaned out. Two of them still need to be cleaned; one was left with oil during the plants last weeks, so the plant could generate electricity again should the regional grid operator request it.

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Demolition of Salem Harbor Station begins