DTE to blast down its Conners Creek plant in Detroit, clearing land for FCA Jeep project

John Gallagher | Detroit Free Press

DTE Energy plans to blast down the remains of its Conners Creek power plant Friday morning as part of the land assembly needed for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' new Jeep plant project on the east side of the city.

Known as an "explosive felling" rather than the more familiar term of "implosion," the explosive demolition of the defunct power plant will take place at 9 a.m. Friday, DTE said. The 75-acre plant site at 100 Lycaste St. is fenced and secure so no street closures or nearby evacuations are required.

A good viewing area for the public may be the eastern end of Belle Isle, across the Detroit River from the plant. But for safety reasons, no viewing area closer to the plant will be available. To ensure public safety, air quality will be monitored after the demolition.

An "explosive felling" differs from "implosion" in slight but important ways. In an implosion, the explosive charges go off simultaneously so that the structure collapses inward on itself. In an explosive felling, the charges go off milliseconds apart to make a structure fall in a controlled manner. Think of a three-legged stool and if you remove a leg, the stool falls over.

DTE has partially removed portions of the structure, including the landmark "Two Brothers" stacks that long served as an east-side landmark.

AECOM, an American multinational firm, is serving as DTE’s engineering consultant for the demolition. The explosive felling be performed by Independence Demolition.

Earlier this year, DTE agreed to swap about 40 acres of the plant site for FCA to use as a storage area for new Jeeps produced at the plant now under construction several blocks to the north. In return for giving up part of its Conners Creek site, DTE agreed to take surplus city-owned parcels elsewhere for use as power substations and the like.

DTE will retain at least 10 acres of the plant site bordering the Detroit River for its own future use, although no plans have been announced for that parcel. That part of the complex is the site of the now-closed Edison Boat Club, a marina that for decades has operated for DTE employees.

The land that DTE will keep also includes a small inlet running from the river to the power plant. That canal gained fame several years ago when a beaver lodge was discovered there. Naturalists said it marked the first confirmed return of the once-plentiful beaver to the Detroit River in perhaps a century.

The Conners Creek power plant first came on line in 1915 and in its heyday employed more than 350 people and generated enough energy to power nearly 400,000 homes. The plant initially burned coal for fuel but later switched to natural gas. DTE ceased using the plant to generate power in 1988.

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In 1996, DTE demolished the "Seven Sisters," the plant's seven identical 352-foot-tall stacks. The "Two Brothers" stacks remained standing until the current demolition got underway and often served as a navigational landmark for boaters and pilots.

“Conners Creek Power Plant played an important role in the growth of Detroit and is an integral part of DTE’s history,” said Trevor Lauer, president and COO, DTE Electric. “While its time as a power plant has passed, the employees who ran it for nearly a century will be remembered and honored by all of us at DTE. We are very pleased that it continues to play a role in Detroit’s growth.”

Contact John Gallagher at 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep. Read more on business and sign up for our business newsletter.