Demolition of Drake Power Plant underway, Springs Utilities says future land use is undecided
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Nearly a year after Colorado Springs Utilities permanently shut down generation inside the Drake Power Plant, the demolition of the site is underway. However, the utility company said it's unlikely any decision will be made on the use of the land until around 2030.
While the demolition of the main plant, including the tall smokestacks and cooling towers, is expected to wrap up by the end of 2024, Springs Utilities says the process is multi-pronged for the company.
"You have the six natural gas generating units that we recently commissioned that are outside the old Drake structure," said Springs Utilities spokesperson Steve Berry. "Those will stay on site for probably about five years because we need to build a new transmission line from the southeast part of Colorado Springs, where we have a substation to downtown because we don't have a generating facility there anymore."
Right now, Springs Utilities is doing work to remove asbestos in the Drake facility. They're tearing down outer structures first, but in the next few weeks, Colorado Springs residents can expect to see the smokestacks and cooling towers start to come down.
Because of the long timeline, Berry said it's still up in the air whether there will be a park, open space, or something entirely different to replace the power plant.
Still, Berry said he doesn't believe it's likely the land will be used for apartments or affordable housing due to the high cost it would require for contractors to remediate the power plant.
However, when the decision is made in future years, the decision will be up to the Colorado Springs City Council.
"It's bittersweet in a way because it's a major transition from where we were as a community, at least as it pertains to energy and where we need to go," said Berry. "I think that what's exciting is, number one, it's a reminder to our customers that there's nothing about this energy transition and being an energy provider here in Colorado that is arbitrary or optional."
