Urban Fossil Fuel Power Plant Remediation and D&D

Project Approach

A major Northeast utility owned and operated a fossil fuel steam and power generating plant located on valuable real estate in a major metropolitan area.  In order to enable immediate transfer of the property to monetize that value, members of the DECARB team designed and implemented a liability transfer under state brownfield regulations protecting the developers and the utility from the environmental and D&D risk, including schedule risk. Major components of the project included decommissioning of power and other infrastructure, asbestos, PCB and lead paint abatement, demolition of the plant and underground fuel storage and pipelines, subsurface soil and groundwater remediation. 

Specific activities included:

• Negotiating a consent agreement under state brownfield redevelopment regulations
• Demolition of a ten-story office building
• Closure of a vehicle fueling station including remediation of groundwater contamination
• Decommissioning and removal of a underground fuel oil tank
• Decommissioning and removal of piping, transformers, switchgear and transformer platforms; decommissioning of power generation infrastructure included two turbine buildings, five turbine generators, two boiler buildings, six boilers and three stacks
• Remediation of oil impacted soil and bedrock using enhanced bioremediation 
• Design and construction of a 40-foot deep excavation adjacent to critical transportation infrastructure
• In-situ treatment of impacted groundwater and onsite treatment of impacted water from dewatering activities
• Beneficial reuse of unimpacted or treated soils
• Removal, transportation and treatment and disposal of hazardous waste, and PCB and lead contaminated soils