Demolition of retired Lansing power plant underway

After almost 75 years of operation, Alliant Energy’s Lansing Generating Station — a coal-fired power plant — retired at the end of 2022. Now, it’s being demolished through a series of implosions.

The first implosion occurred on Sunday and was conducted by contractor Independence Excavating. It targeted the facility’s stack and baghouse. The process went as planned, said Alliant spokesperson Morgan Hawk.

The companies coordinated with local officials to take appropriate safety precautions, which included closing nearby roads and stopping river traffic on the Mississippi River.

The remaining structure — the boiler house — is expected to be imploded this fall. The date and time have not been determined, Hawk said. Alliant is still deciding plans for future use of the site.

Brittney J. Miller is the Energy & Environment Reporter for The Gazette and a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

Comments: (319) 398-8370; brittney.miller@thegazette.com