RPL East began demolition in 2022 of a former coal-burning plant at 5027 River Rd. in Upper Mount Bethel Township, starting with a 55-ton coal conveyor. The plan is to demolish the plant and remediate the property by the autumn of 2023 so it can be developed for commercial or industrial uses.Photo courtesy of RPL East

Demolition has begun at a former coal plant that was shut down in 2015 after years of concerns about environmental issues.

Development company RPL East has begun demolition of the former coal plant starting with a 55-ton coal conveyor at the former Portland Generating Station at 5027 River Road in Upper Mount Bethel Township.

The plan is to demolish the entire plant and have the property ready for development by the autumn of 2023, according to an RPL East spokesperson.

The demolition will include about 700,000 square feet of industrial structures including two 480-foot-tall smokestacks that overlook the river.

“This milestone marks the beginning of our efforts to deconstruct, remediate, and develop what soon will serve as an important complementary part of a much sought-after employment hub here in the Lehigh Valley,” RPL East President Lou Pektor said in a statement.

In 2021, the Bangor Area Commercial and Industrial Development Authority purchased the property that surrounds an active fuel-burning plant that is operated by GenOn Energy.

RPL East financed the $5 million purchase with an agreement to eventually buy the property once it has been remediated.

The IDA will be able to seek government money for potentially hazardous brownfield cleanups that a private developer could not obtain. The site will undergo remediation through the state Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act, known as Act 2.

“For years, the abandoned coal power plant stood as a testament to our post-industrial past,” Pektor said. “While we still have a long way to go before the site is ready for the next phases of redevelopment, the demolition of the conveyor is a significant and noteworthy achievement.”

RPL East is affiliated with River Pointe Logistics, which has purchased over 800 acres of land across the street from the former power plant with plans to build over 6 million square feet of industrial and commercial buildings as part of the River Pointe Commerce Park.

Both companies are also affiliated with New Demi Road LLC, which has submitted plans to the township to build a 420,000-square-foot building at 303 Demi Rd., which abuts the River Pointe property.

Many residents have attended township meetings over the last two-and-a-half years expressing concerns about the amount of proposed development occurring in the largely rural township.

Resident Charles Cole previously said that cleaning up the former coal plant would be a good thing providing it doesn’t make way for a development that could result in other deleterious effects on the area.

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John Best is a freelance contributor to lehighvalleylive.com. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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