Salem Power Plant finally closes: cruise ships scheduled for October

The final transmission to the New England power grid is scheduled for 1 second before midnight tonight. The message, according to the Salem News article What next for Salem Power Plant?, will be, in effect: “closed for business.”

According to the Salem News, this is what we can expect to happen in the coming months:
– for about six weeks, the grounds will be made safe – draining oil from machines, disconnecting electricity – for the demolition contractor
– around mid-July sound-proofing fencing will be erected near Derby Street and the demolition of the plant, starting with the oil tanks, will start
– the smokestack that once served units 1-3 will come down, followed by the taller one
– the demolition crew will work roughly south to north along the harbor, and the main plant building will be one of the last things to be demolished

According to Kathy Winn of the Salem Planning department, the deep-water coal dock will be revamped to accommodate cruise ships, the first of which is scheduled to arrive in mid-October.

The proposed new gas-fired power plant is unlikely to be operational by the target date of June 2016, according to Scott Silverstein, president of Footprint Power, owners of the site, because of an appeal, filed by four residents, with the EPA. A previous appeal, filed by the Conservation Law Foundation, was recently withdrawn.

And finally, Footprint is talking to various people about possible redevelopment uses for the 40 acres of land that will not be required for the new plant.

Hallelujah! The day has finally come.

If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].

Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty

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