Project Overview
Calpine decided to close its 56 MW cogeneration plant in Newark, New Jersey for business reasons. Phoenix Equipment acquired the site and committed to complete demolition of the facility and return the property as a paved parking lot at no cost to Calpine.
Built in the early 1990s, the plant included a 40 MW GE Frame 6B gas turbine generator, a 20 MW ABB Alstom steam turbine generator, an HRSG, and associated balance-of-plant equipment. The main building measured approximately 90 feet by 150 feet and 45 feet high, while the HRSG included an 8-foot-diameter, 215-foot-high steel stack. The approximately $2.5 million project was completed in five months.
The Challenge
The site was tightly constrained. A paper recycling operation bordered the property to the south and west, while the site access road and railroad tracks were to the north and an active street ran along the east side.
The plant also sat on a pad approximately 4 to 6 feet above adjacent grades, and the soils beneath the facility had to remain undisturbed and capped. Complicating the work further, electric power to the site had already been terminated before Phoenix began the salvage and demolition project.
Phoenix therefore had to recover reusable equipment, demolish the remaining structures, protect adjacent operations, and complete the site conversion without disturbing the underlying soil cap.
Recovering Equipment Before Demolition
Phoenix incorporated equipment recovery into the demolition plan to reduce the overall project cost to Calpine. Before the main building could be demolished, portions of the gas and steam turbines, water filtration equipment, transformers, cooling towers, tanks, and other reusable assets were removed for resale.
Because electric power to the site had already been terminated, the building’s overhead crane was no longer operational. Bringing in an outside crane would have added cost, consumed limited site space, and slowed the salvage work. Phoenix instead reactivated the building’s overhead crane, allowing the team to recover the major equipment more efficiently within the confined footprint.
Controlled Stack & Building Demolition
The 215-foot steel stack required a controlled dismantlement approach because of the adjacent paper recycling facility. Phoenix and its subcontractor enclosed the scaffolding around the stack to contain sparks from torch cutting, then used the stack itself as a chute to lower the cut steel sections to the ground.
After the reusable equipment had been removed, Phoenix demolished the stripped plant building to its slab using hydraulic excavators equipped with shears and grapples.
Site Capping & Conversion to Parking
Once the building was removed, Phoenix completed the remaining site work without disturbing the capped soils below. Openings in the concrete walls were sealed with rebar and concrete, while masonry generated during demolition was processed on site and used to help level the property.
Phoenix then covered the approximately 0.75-acre site with a 3-inch base course and 3 inches of asphalt, returning the former cogeneration plant footprint as a paved parking area.
Project Outcome
The project was completed ahead of schedule, allowing Phoenix to earn the maximum performance bonus available under the contract. Equipment recovery and resale helped reduce the net demolition cost to Calpine, while the former cogeneration plant was completely removed and the property converted to parking without disturbing the capped soils below the site.
The project generated approximately 2,500 tons of scrap, 50,000 pounds of copper, and 5,000 tons of masonry.
Project Highlights
- Client: Calpine
- Location: Newark, New Jersey
- Facility: 56 MW Cogeneration Plant
- Major Equipment: 40 MW GE Frame 6B Gas Turbine, 20 MW ABB Alstom Steam Turbine and HRSG
- Main Building: Approximately 90 ft × 150 ft × 45 ft High
- Stack: 8-Foot Diameter × 215 Feet High
- Phoenix Scope: Site Acquisition, Equipment Recovery, Demolition, Scrap Recycling, Site Capping and Paving
- Equipment Recovered: Turbine Components, Cooling Towers, Tanks, Transformers and Water Filtration Equipment (See Liquidation)
- Project Duration: Approximately 5 Months
- Project Value: Approximately $2.5 Million
- Scrap Generated: Approximately 2,500 Tons
- Copper Recovered: Approximately 50,000 Pounds
- Masonry Processed: Approximately 5,000 Tons
- Final Condition: Site Leveled, Capped and Paved for Parking
- Outcome: Completed Ahead of Schedule / Maximum Contract Bonus Earned
Using Equipment Recovery to Reduce Demolition Costs
At the Calpine site, equipment recovery was built into the demolition strategy from the beginning. Phoenix salvaged reusable turbine and balance-of-plant equipment before structural demolition, allowing resale value to help offset project costs.
Once the recoverable assets were removed, Phoenix completed the demolition, worked within the site’s soil restrictions, and returned the former plant footprint as a paved parking area. The result was a five-month site-clearance project that combined asset recovery with final redevelopment.