As reported in The ChronicleHerald, Nova Scotia Power has begun the process of dismantling a 50-year-old, 91-metre tall stack at its Point Tupper Generating Station.

“It’s a fairly slow process, starting at the top, as we remove the stack layer by layer,” said Steve Kyle, plant manager at the generating station, in a press release. “But the end result will be a dramatic one. It will change the landscape, that’s for sure.”

Hamon Custodis Cottrell Canada, specialists in power stack removal, will conduct the work which is expected to take up to three months to complete.

Scaffolding will be attached to the stack, made of reinforced concrete, and workers will lower the debris through the stack chimney as it’s removed.

All debris will be disposed according to government regulations. Explosives will not be used, and noise and dust are expected to be minimal.

The power stack has been out of service since Point Tupper’s Unit No. 1 generator was decommissioned in 1987.

The dismantling process is a two-phased project. In 2018, the inner lining of the power stack was removed. A second, 101-metre power stack remains in service, serving Unit No. 2.

The Point Tupper Generating Station produces 154 megawatts of electricity. It began operations in 1969 when the site was selected by government to supply steam for the processes of an adjacent facility that was built to produce heavy water for the nuclear power industry.