Trojan in Twilight: Cooling Tower Implosion

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.

A number of closures were put in place as the implosion date neared.

• Thursday, May 18, 2006 - Road to Graham Lumber in Kalama gated. Employees only.

• 5:00 PM, Friday, May 19 - Trojan Site Closed

• 9:00 PM, Saturday, May 20 - Kalama River Road Closed. Address Verification Required.

• 5:00 AM, Sunday, May 21 - Highway 30 Closed between Jack Falls Road and Neer City Road. Traffic escorted by pilot cars.

• 6:00 AM, Sunday, May 21 - Columbia River traffic stopped from river mile 70.5 to 74.5.

• 6:45 AM, Sunday, May 21 - Rolling slowdowns begin to close I-5 from mile 28 to 34.

View of Kalama, Washington, on May 21, 2006.

PGE’s media viewpoint in Kalama, Washington, May 21, 2006.

No public viewing areas were set up for the general public, and people were told that the best place to watch the implosion would be on television. PGE set up a small, media-only viewpoint across the Columbia River at the Port of Kalama for reporters and PGE employees and their families.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.

On Sunday morning, May 21, those who had a spot to watch got up early to get in place with plenty of time. My father had arranged to watch from a spot just west of the site, just outside of the roadblocks. Those who didn't have a place to watch had to settle for the television coverage, which was still pretty good.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower on May 21, 2006.
(Photo by Cliff West)

At 6:58, a small warning charge was set off to scare away any birds on or near the tower. At 7:00 AM, CDI's Thom Doud set off the charges with a hand-held detonator powered by a 9 volt battery, sending an electrical pulse to trigger the non-electric blasting caps. All the charges went off in sequence within 700 milliseconds, bringing the tower crumbling to the ground in about 10 seconds.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006. (Photo by Cliff West)

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006. (Photo by Cliff West)

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006. (Photo by Cliff West)

The implosion happened very fast. When it was over, the dust cloud dissipated fairly quickly.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006. (Photo by Cliff West)

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006. (Photo by Cliff West)

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

Trojan Nuclear Power Plant Cooling Tower Implosion on May 21, 2006.

When the implosion was over and the dust had cleared, all that was left standing was a 50-foot-tall section of the base about 450 feet long. Almost all of the debris fell within the tower's original footprint. Trojan's cooling tower was the first such tower to be demolished in the United States, and the largest to be imploded in the world. The implosion cost $3.9 million.

View of the Trojan Nuclear Power Plant site from Kalama, Washington, after the implosion on May 21, 2006.

At the end of the day, from the Kalama Sportsmen's Club, something was conspicuously missing from the view. Without the cooling tower, the rest of the power plant looks lonely.

Obviously, the media covered the event extensively. Here are some links to various news articles, photos and videos about the implosion.

The Daily News - Blast Levels Trojan in Spectacular 9-Second Show

Continue to Epilogue…