A decades-old power plant in central Iowa took only seconds to implode into nothing Thursday during a scheduled demolition.

The Sutherland Generating Station in Marshalltown saw the final phase of its demolition after Alliant Energy workers had been decommissioning it.

The plant, built in 1950, started burning coal exclusively after the U.S. Department of Energy directed them to stop using natural gas at the generating station.

In 2007, Alliant Energy announced plans to build a new power station and essentially phase out the 140-watt producing plant. The new station was funded by high-voltage power lines Alliant Energy began selling that year.

Alliant Energy has put less emphasis on coal as the years have gone by, which also contributed to the winding down of the generating station.

The Sutherland Generating Station was officially retired in 2017.

Aaron Calvin covers trending news for the Register. Reach him at acalvin@registermedia.com, 515-556-9097 or on Twitter at @aaronpcalvin.

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