Demolition of Austin Utilities’ Northeast Power Plant to continue through the winter

Officials with Austin Utilities have announced that the demolition of the Northeast Power Plant located in NE Austin at 2901 11th ST NE is continuing, as they stated that the demolition phase of the project will begin this month and is expected to be completed in April.

The project was originally scheduled to be completed in 2020 but was delayed because of the pandemic. During that time, Austin Utilities was able to use their own staff to start the demolition of some of the out-buildings, saving approximately $100,000 off the cost of the demolition.  Demolition specialists were hired to complete the balance of the project due to the presence of asbestos and the need for specialized knowledge of commercial demolition. The total project cost is $1.056 million.

Officials with Austin Utilities have stated that there are no future plans for the site at this time, however, they added hat Austin Utilities continues to own a substation and wellhouse located on the property. The site will continue to be maintained by Austin Utilities.

The 30-megawatt power plant was completed in 1971 at a dedication event touting it as the Power for the Future. It was phase 3 of a four-part project to provide Austin with reliable power.  The total cost to build the plant was $7.5 million dollars. The Northeast Power Plant was decommissioned in 2016 due to outdated and inefficient technology.