In a move toward clean energy, a Florida utility company on Wednesday imploded its last standing coal power plant that has loomed over a small town for more than 25 years.
“We’re saying goodbye to coal,” Florida Power and Light, or FPL, spokesperson Jack Eble told NBC West Palm Beach affiliate WPTV.
The 495-foot inactive chimney stack was in Indiantown, about 50 miles northwest of West Palm Beach.
The demolition took less than 10 seconds, bookended by the bang of the explosion and the crash of the stack.
“This is our last coal-fired plant in the state of Florida,” Eble said. “This is the next step in our 20-year modernization story of providing clean, reliable, and affordable energy to our customers.”
Soon, the company will also take down the boiler, ash silo and other related coal land infrastructure, WPTV reported. FPL bought the plant in 2016 knowing it would shut it down.
Florida does not currently have any coal reserves or production, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While the state still uses coal, it relies on resources harvested in other states.
