Programmatic Approach to 

Retired Power Plants

Andrea Danucalov

Asset Manager

Presented at Utility Economic 

Development Association (UEDA)

Panel on Redevelopment of Power 

Plants for Economic Development 

Purposes

Charleston, SC

March 3, 2015

 
Programmatic View for a Fleet of Retired Assets 

• Exelon Overview

• Retired Assets as a Fleet – not stand alone projects

• Asset Management 

− Programmatic approach to decommissioning and management of retired sites/assets

− Identify opportunities for retired sites – such as sale of assets, demolition, and/or 

redevelopment

• Retired Site Opportunities

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Exelon Power Portfolio 

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Programmatic Approach to Retired Sites 

• Determine Hold Costs

− Inspections, façade, Fire Marshall, 

building, pier, bridge, etc

− Building/Site maintenance 

− FIN 47 Conditional Asset Retirement 

Obligation

− Security

− Environmental issues/permitting

− Taxes/Insurance

• Community Issues:

− Tax support, zoning, community 

groups, etc.

• Identify Risks

− Age of building, stacks, pier, bridges

− Security 

− Environmental

• Identify Value of Land and Existing 

Assets

− Land appraisals/Current 

Zoning/Historical Issues

− Work with Asset Optimization 

process to determine current value of 

assets where co-located with retired 

assets

− Possible power plant redevelopment 

short term/long term?

• Review Existing Site Issues 

− Utility and other easements or leases

− Utility Relocation/Separation Issues

− Local Ordinances

• Identify possible future use scenarios:

− Hold, Demolish & Hold, Demolish & 

Sell, Sell As-Is, Redevelopment

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Identify possible scenarios: Hold, Demolish & Hold, Demolish & Sell, 

Sell As-Is, Redevelopment
Manage Retired Assets as a Fleet - Not Stand A Lone Projects 

• Pennsylvania

− Chester Station

− Delaware Station

• Original coal fired units

− Richmond Station

• Original coal fired units

− Cromby Station

− Eddystone Units 1 and 2

− Barbadoes Generating Station

− Schuylkill Unit 1

• Texas

− Mountain Creek Units 1 – 3

− Handley Units 1 - 2

• Massachusetts

− New Boston

− Mystic Station Units 1 - 6

• Maryland

• Gould Street – Units 1 and 2

− Riverside 1-3, 5 & 6 

• Unit 4 retirement 2015

− Wildwood Beach

− Chestnut Hill (ash site)

− Rossville (ash site)

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Why Is It Important To Have A Consistent Program? 

• Multiple Stakeholders:

− Operations, Supply Chain, Project Management, Real Estate, Environmental, 

Security, Legal, Public Affairs, Accounting, Local Utility, and Corporate 

Development

− Existing Easements and/or Leases

• Diverse Fleet

− The assets are complicated

• Numerous Competing Vendors

• Understand/Optimize Value – Economies of Scale

• Proactive versus Reactive 

• Extract Lessons Learned

• Plants will close – Need to be ready!

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Retired Sites & Opportunities 

• Eddystone Generating Station

• Chester Generating Station

• Delaware Generating Station 

• Richmond Generating Station

• Barbadoes Island

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Delaware Station 1920s

Delaware Station Today
Eddystone Rail Project 

• Located at Eddystone Generating Station 

near Philadelphia, PA will provide area 

refineries access to growing supplies of 

crude oil from U.S. producers. Light 

sweet crude oil is transported via rail from 

the Bakken region of North Dakota to the 

Eddystone Rail Company 

− crude oil is transferred from rail to barge 

and delivered to nearby refineries along 

the Delaware River. 

• Placed in service 2014, the facility 

receives and delivers up to 80,000 barrels 

per day (BPD) to Philadelphia-area 

refineries.

− Enbridge Inc., through its indirect, U.S. 

subsidiary Enbridge Rail (Philadelphia) 

L.L.C., entered into an agreement with 

Canopy Prospecting, Inc. to jointly develop 

the Eddystone Rail Project.

• Makes use of Eddystone’s existing 

infrastructure and provides lease income

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Chester Generating Station 

• In May, 2001, Exelon sold most of the property to Preferred Real Estate Investments 

(Preferred).

− Plant built in 1916, designed by architect John T. Windrim and out service in 1984

− Preferred converted the old coal-fired power plant into a high-tech office building.

• The property is a Keystone Opportunity Zone.

• The building has approximately 396,000 square feet of Class A office space.

• In 2007, Preferred sold the property to the development firm, Bucinni and Pollin.

− In 2010, a new major league soccer stadium was constructed on the e east side of 

the property.

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Copyrighted page(s) removed. Copyrighted 

material is not available in Regulations.gov since 

it may not be reproduced without consent of the 

copyright holder. 

Removed pages can be viewed at the USEPA 

Docket Center, Public Reading Room. 

Address: 1301 Constitution Ave, NW 

Room 3334 

Washington, DC 20004 

Telephone: 202-566-1744 

Email: docket-customerservice@epa.gov
Delaware Generating Station 

• Located on the Delaware River near the Ben Franklin Bridge and Penn Treaty Park

− Community is retrofitting industrial buildings into commercial/residential use

• Construction began in 1918 and completed 1923

− Designed by architect John Windrim who also designed the Franklin Institute 

• Houses 24 coal fired boilers and 6 turbines rated capacity 180,000 kilowatts

− Boiler House 2 converted to oil in 1950s – both boiler house 1 and 2 retired by 1969

− Auxiliary boiler and maintenance shop remained functional until 2005

− Switch house still in use 

• Units 7 and 8

− Oil fired units constructed 1950s total plant rated capacity 467,750 kilowatts

− Units 7 and 8 retired in 2005

− Demolished in 2008 along with above ground storage tanks 

• Current Use:

− PECO still utilizes Switch house/easement with utility

− Oil fired combustion turbines used for peak demand located on site 

− Parking lease 

• Decision to sell site as is with easements for current turbines

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Possible alternative use for site – commercial or mixed use
Richmond Generating Station 

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 Richmond Generating Station – circa 1925 and 2014 

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Richmond Generating Station – circa 1925 and Today 

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Richmond Generating Station 

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Richmond Generating Station 

• Richmond construction began in 1925

• Same architect as Delaware Generating Station, John Windrim

• Originally coal fired, 16 boilers and 4 turbines with a rated capacity of 100,000 kilowatts 

and then increased to 483,000 kilowatts by 1954

− Switch house 

− Pier, coal tower, conveyor

− Screen house, ash handling system

• Converted to oil in 1970 and operation in building ceased 1985

• Switch house remained operational until 2003

• Current Use:

− Oil fired combustion turbines used for peak demand located on site 

− Easements – PECO and Amtrak

• Ongoing maintenance issues:

− Building, pier, stack – inspection and repair program

− Security issues 

• Located in the port with access to rail, major roads, and water

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Currently working on alternative uses for the site.
Barbadoes Generating Station 

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Generating Station built in early 1900s as shown in early 2000.
Barbadoes Island – post demolition of Power Plant 

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Barbadoes Generating Station 

• Approximately 83 acres on an island in the Schuylkill River just outside of Norristown, PA

• In the 1800s, island used as a recreational spot for local residents

• Coal fired power plant constructed in 1926 and converted to diesel in 1970s

− 450 foot span steel bridge built in 1940s for vehicular access

• Shutdown in 1997 and used for a training center until 2008

• In 2008/2009, the plant was demolished

• Floodplain issues – future development as a power plant not viable

• Ongoing issues:

− Security

− Bridge maintenance 

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Working with a broker and marketing the site. Future use complicated for 

access, location (floodplain), and existing easements.
Conclusion/Next Steps 

• Managing sites individually is 

inefficient and may result in lost value

• Historical and institutional knowledge 

of sites has been lost over time 

− Files, drawings, photos have been 

discarded and/or damaged over 

time 

− Employee retirement

• Development of Programmatic 

Approach:

− Continuing to refine hold costs 

associated with various properties 

and identify gaps in needed data 

− Evaluate options for all retired 

sites/assets 

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Questions 

• Please contact: 

Andrea Danucalov, Asset Manager

andrea.danucalov@exeloncorp.com 

610.765.5505

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