DTE Energy demolishes shuttered Trenton power plant, sending dust and flames into the air
Part of a shuttered power plant near Detroit was demolished Friday by explosives that turned the hulking structure into piles of rubble and kicked up a wall of dust and flames.
A line of controlled explosives detonated across the base of the former Trenton Channel Power Plant's boiler house around 6 a.m. just before the nine-story, 180-foot tall structure began collapsing along the Detroit River.
DTE Energy officials said the collapse unfolded smoothly and as the utility had planned.
"I knew that the team was ready. They had done a lot of careful planning for months and they were able to do just an awesome job. I'm really, really proud of the team," said Renee Tomina, senior vice president of project management organization. "This Trenton channel Power Plant has been in this community for 100 years and it served this community really, really well, so I know it's been a part of the fabric and fiber of the community and certainly a part of the DTE culture and history."
The coal-burning power plant was retired in 2022 after nearly a century of generating electricity. It was demolished as part of DTE Energy's shift toward clean energy by building a battery storage facility.
When it comes online in 2026, the Trenton Channel Energy Center will be the largest standalone battery energy storage project in the Great Lakes, DTE Energy said. It will be able to store 220 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 40,000 homes, according to the utility.
Until they were demolished in March, the Trenton Channel Power Plant site also featured two 600-foot (183-meter) tall red-and-white striped smokestacks that had long been a local landmark.
DTE Energy demolishes shuttered Trenton power plant