Cleveland, OH: 1911,1923,1940s,1962 520mw Lake Shore Power Plant, Second to use Pulverized Coal in US

(Satellite, other than a new switchyard on the old coal pile, it was still brownland when I accessed it in Jan 2024.)

In 2015, the last running unit, 1962 #18 256mw, was retired. The underserved neighborhood of Glenville was close to this plant. [gem]

"The plant, built in 1911, was closed in 2015 rather than be upgraded to meet new air quality standards to reduce mercury and other toxic metal emissions." The major implosion happened in 2017. [neo-trans] The first plant was built in 1911. But what still existed in the 21st Century dates back to the 1940s. And I think it is mercury in the wastewater, not air, that has caused so many coal-fired plants to converted to gas or retired.

Note the coal pile peaking over a hill on the right side of this view.

Street View, Sep 2011

Don Nichols posted two images with the comment: "I bought this from eBay in 2012. the front page and inside of a booklet about the Lake shore power plant."

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Back when it was still receiving coal by the trainload.

Google Earth, Dec 2010

Don Nichols posted five photos with the comment: "The Lake Shore Power Plant in Cleveland. June of 2005."

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Gerald Frisina: SORRY don but this is not what that plant looked like in 2005. Thios is what it looked like in the very late 70's to early 90's. It became a transfer station for the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. Short version... is the City of Cleveland who owned it decided to up grade it. Instead of using Ohio based Boilers and Controls (Babcock and Wilcox/Bailey Controls who arte both local they awarded it to an European Company so the Mayor and President of City console plus board members could spend time going to Europe and spending Tax Payers money being wined and dined, by the Contractors. After all was said and done they refurbished the Plant with a boiler and controls from overseas. It never turned the Westing house turbine and provided one kilowatt of power. It was sold to Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company and used as a transfer station. Later the painted blue sky and whales and made it into an art piece. It would have been better to paint White Elephants on it.

[Street views show that the plant disappeared between 2015 and 2018.]

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The building on the right with the big smokestack was probably the 256mw Unit #18, 1962-2015. The building on the left was probably the one built in the 1940s and retired in 2012.

First of 21 photos via cleveland, (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)
First Energy allowed the plant to deteriorate after the 2012 shutdown due to frozen roof drain pipes, etc. so that by 2016 it had to be torn down.
"The utility would remove the top 2 feet of soil from the site and grade the property so it drains toward its former water treatment ponds, without creating puddles or swampy areas. The utility would cap the land with fresh topsoil, plant it with grass, and await offers from buyers."

That looks like a rotary coal hopper dumper.

Sixth of 21 photos via cleveland, (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)

The 19th photo more clearly shows that these are units 14-17.

Eighth of 21 photos via cleveland, (Marvin Fong / The Plain Dealer)

The tall smokestack was 300'. [IndependenceDemolition]

It is a shame that they didn't preserve it as other redevelopments have as a homage to the industrial history of the area.

There has been no shortage of owners and plans, but nothing has happened except for the growth of trees.

neo-trans
"Prior to demolishing the Lake Shore Power Station, FirstEnergy submitted conceptual plans to the city for redeveloping the site with different uses and even relocating Interstate 90 away from the edge of Lake Erie and its pounding waves (FirstEnergy)."

ClevelandMetroparks, p10

I found the source for the neo-trans diagrams. Actually, neo-trans used page 47. This is a 61 page reuse report by First Energy. I didn't read it, but I did look at the pictures.

ClevelandMetroparks, p43

The 1940s building was deconstructed, the 1962 building and smokestack was blown up.

indexc

At least they used a lot of water for dust control. I wonder if it did the job. When they imploded the Crawford Power Plant in Chicago, (toxic?) dust rained down on the Little Village.

FirstEnergy
"Lake Shore began operation in 1911 and was built at cost of $14 million.  In 1923, it became the first plant in Ohio – and only the second in the United States – to burn pulverized coal.  At one time, it had a peak generating capacity of 520 MW, but most recently was operating a single 245 MW unit."