TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Apollo Beach’s skyline will change in the coming months as Tampa Electric will remove two of the three chimneys at Big Bend Power Station.
“Big Bend’s chimneys have been landmarks in Apollo Beach for decades,” said Allan Williams, director of Big Bend Station. “This will dramatically change the landscape.”
Officials said the Big Bend Modernization project depowered Big Bend Unit 1 with state-of-the-art combined-cycle technology and eliminated coal as that unit’s fuel.
The company said the project is part of its strategy to reduce carbon. The project will improve the land, water and air emissions at Big Bend as part of TECO’s legacy of environmental stewardship.
Now that the modernization project is complete, the company will work to remove the chimneys. Officials said preliminary work has begun and the most visible progress will begin in May. The chimneys will be completely removed in the autumn.
Tampa Electric said the chimneys were built in the 1970s and served Big Bend Units 1, 2 and 3 for about five decards. The company said units 1 and 2 began operating in 1970 and 1973. They shared a chimney. Unit 3 began operating in 1976 and will retire in April.
Officials said the 500-foot-tall chimneys are made with an inner liner of brick and have an outer shell of poured reinforced concrete. They will be dismantled in pieces by a specialized team, beginning at the top.