Demolition activities at the site of the former Martin Drake Power Plant were completed in 2024, following nearly a century of electric generation in downtown Colorado Springs.
For generations, Drake was a symbol of reliability thanks to the dedicated employees who worked there. Although the plant no longer stands, its legacy will live on as we transition to a new energy future.
Demolition efforts began in the summer of 2023. From that time through July 2024, the project consisted of more than 83,000 hours of labor and the removal of approximately 8,700 gross tons of metal, filling 770 truckloads.
The contractor handling the demolition took special steps to minimize dust, traffic, noise and protect air quality for the surrounding area.
The demolition project cost about $20 million – a price tag that would have grown without the offsets achieved by selling scrap material.
The future of the site
The site is owned by the City of Colorado Springs and is currently held by Colorado Springs Utilities. The future use of this site will likely include a significant public process, but it’s also important to note potential use may be subject to a number of factors to include future environmental studies and resulting requirements set by the applicable environmental regulations.
Drake's history and legacy
All generation inside the Martin Drake Power Plant permanently shut down on Sept. 1, 2022. This marked the end of nearly a century of electric generation in downtown Colorado Springs.
Drake provided reliable and cost-effective power for close to 100 years and enabled our city to grow and prosper in ways our early leaders could not have imagined. Thousands of employees and generations of workers (often members of the same family) put their blood, sweat and tears into this staple of our community.
The decision to shutdown Drake was made with several factors in mind, to include state-required emissions reductions and the high maintenance costs of running an aging coal-fired plant (approximately $200 million annually).
