Saying goodbye to PowerGen

The content originally appeared on: Trinidad and Tobago Newsday

PowerGen’s four stacks before demolition at Flament Street, Port of Spain, before demolition began in 2016. – FILE PHOTO

THE Port of Spain Power Station, easily recognisable by its four chimney stacks, stood at Flament Street, Port of Spain for 63 years before being decommissioned in January 2016.

At its peak, the former energy powerhouse consisted of two 50MW (megawatt) steam turbines, two 80 MW General Electric steam turbines and two 24MW Rolls Royce gas turbines, which at its peak meant a total generation capacity of 308 MW. That capacity equates to about the amount of electricity consumed by 308,000 homes in a year.

Demolition of the the landmark site began in August 2016, with each of the stacks being cut by blowtorches and removed by crane by PowerGen’s technical team employees and AMCOWELD. The top of one of the PowerGen stacks sits nearby on Stone Street as one of the last remaining pieces of the iconic feature of the Port of Spain skyline.

The top of one of the PowerGen stacks on Stone Street, July 18, 2024. – Photo by Ayanna Kinsale