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Developer begins coal power plant demolition at future commerce park
Stacy Wescoe//August 17, 2022//
A big step forward in a major project in Upper Bethel Township.
RPL East, an affiliate of River Pointe Logistics, has now dismantled the 55-ton coal conveyor on the former GenOn Coal Power Plant.
The plant is located adjacent to the planned River Pointe Commerce Park, which would be one of the largest new commercial real estate developments in the region.
As part of the initial dismantling efforts, RPL East deconstructed and removed the conveyor ramp that once moved coal to the plant as well as two adjacent buildings.
Almost 80% of the demolished materials will then be transported off-site where it will be used as scrap metal.
“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,” said Lou Pektor, president of RPL East. “For years, the abandoned coal power plant stood as a testament to our post-industrial past. 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.”
Ongoing demolition at the site will include the removal of about 700,000 square feet of infrastructure including two 480-foot-tall smokestacks. The site will then go through remediation through the Act 2 program.
Pektor noted that RPL East is currently accepting bids from construction companies to continue the dismantling and deconstruction process in the fourth quarter of the year. Land could be developable as early as the third quarter of 2023.
