A massive crane began to exert its influence on the Martin Drake Power Plant site this week as it helped bring down the first sections of one of the old stacks. This milestone only comes after weeks of careful abatement work on the inside of each stack to protect the environment and surrounding neighborhoods.
Two of the three stacks – structures that have been a permanent part of Colorado Springs’ skyline for decades – will be completely leveled by the end of the first quarter of 2024. The third stack attached to the old main Drake building will be removed later this year. Beyond the stacks, all structures connected to the old Drake Power Plant will be taken to ground level by the end of 2024.
Although the old Drake Power Plant buildings and stacks will soon be gone, the site itself will remain a key element in our energy transition efforts for years to come. The six natural gas generating units, commissioned in 2023, will remain onsite for the foreseeable future, while the substation just south of the Drake Power Plant will remain a permanent fixture.
There are no plans for private development on the Drake Power Plant site.
We understand that the demolition of Drake may re-awaken customer concerns about the future of rates and whether closing it was the right decision. After years of study, closing Drake was the only viable path forward to best manage customer costs. The advanced age of the plant, the cost of maintenance and staffing and the exponential cost to add emissions control equipment to possibly meet ever-evolving state air quality standards made the concept of keeping the plant open unrealistic.
While the Drake property will remain a utilities operational site, there are exciting developments directly adjacent to the site. We are supportive of COS Creek Plan – a Fountain Creek Watershed Vision and Implementation Plan – as that team reimagines a watershed that has long shared adjacent space with utility operations.