In May of 2015 North American Dismantling began the decommission and demolition of the Arapahoe power plant located in Denver. Xcel Energy with contracted North American Dismantling (NADC) to complete the total dismantlement of the entire Arapahoe power plant consisting of 65 structures, some reaching heights of 6 stories, and a total of 199,577 s.f. located on 50 acres.
In June of 2015 asbestos abatement of insulation and other material as well as lead paint removal was completed leading up environmental cleaning of chemicals, oils, and other contaminates in October of that year. Various storage vessels were emptied, cleaned, and disposed of during this environmental work.
In March of 2016 NADC began actual demolition work on the plant. Consisting of a total of four power-generating units with a peak height of 105 feet, ranging from 50-100 Megawatts equaling a massive 130,000 s.f. NADC demolished all the structures which included the power-generating units, various outbuildings including warehouses, shops, and storage buildings, foundation removal of structures, circulating water tunnels, all underground well & piping systems, Utility disconnects, coal conveyer demolition and employing conventional methods to demolish two of the plant’s concrete smoke stacks was part of this phase of the work.
The most challenging part of this project was the concrete removal. Between cooling tower basins, foundations, and circulating water tunnels, NADC removed, crushed and recycled approximately 24,000 yards of concrete. NADC successfully completed the over two-year project with zero recordable incidents, accidents, or injuries.
The demolition of the Xcel Arapahoe Power Plant took a total of 25 months to complete. with extensive abatement, environmental cleaning, and precise demolition work, North American Dismantling (NADC) was able to complete the project on time and on budget. A once expansive powerplant now sits as a 50-acre greenfield lot, restored to its natural beauty in Denver, Colorado.
Michigan-based North American Dismantling Corp. recently stripped out the Blackhawk Power Station in Beloit, WI, so that it can become a new recreation center for Beloit College. The college is an integral part of the community that surrounds it, so the Black Hawk Power Station will be converted into a central gathering space where campus and community members can gather to eat, study, exercise, exchange ideas, and collaborate.
Starting in June of 2017, North American Dismantling Corp. (NADC) began site preparation for the removal of the plant’s Units 3 and 4 boilers and turbines, non-structural steel, coal handling, and precipitators structures, tanks and their associated piping, and the plant’s circulating water intake and discharge systems.
When developing the power plant into the community center, NADC had to protect all the architectural items that will be part of the new building. These included the plant’s roofing, siding, windows, and doors as well as the plant’s Unit 3 coal grinder, the overhead cranes that serviced both boilers, the interior brick veneer façade, and the turbine floor’s ceramic tile.
As with many power plant projects, NADC cleared much of the site in preparation for its new use, removed any process gases and oils remaining in the plant, backfilled any excavations, and decommissioned the plant’s discharge piping and intake tunnels.
Celebrating its 30th anniversary, North American Dismantling Corp., in Lapeer, Michigan, travels across the country to remove structures, accepting the challenging projects that require expertise.
“The company is on a tremendous upswing,” says Tim Seagraves, Marketing Director North American Dismantling. “We are going to grow, and it’s unlimited where we can go.”
The company has built a reputation as an efficient, safe, and economical demolition firm, using the newest equipment to bring down the most difficult selective and total demolition jobs. It currently has two powerhouse projects, one in Brilliant, Ohio, and another in Denver, Colorado. It also is demolishing an old plastics plant in Washington, West Virginia. “If the job is big enough, we will travel there,” says Marty Radelt, Purchasing Director of North American Dismantling.
Lapeer-based demolition company remediates toxins, clears down to the concrete slab.
There is an online physics-based game called Demolition City. The game looks deceptively simple – almost Pac-Man-like – that one guesses it would be a snap for most anyone working at North American Dismantling Corporation (NADC), Lapeer, Mich. Whether the game or real life, the concept is the same: Know where the pivot points are in a structure that can bring it down most efficiently.
Specializing in heavy industrial demolition and strip out, North American Dismantling bids work throughout the United States and Canada. The company boasts expertise in engineering, environmental assessment, remediation, and specialty construction while maintaining its long tradition of being considered an industry leader in demolition.
A current demolition challenge for the company is a massive one-million-square-foot former GM Saginaw Malleable Iron foundry facility located in Saginaw, Mich.
