2 COOLING TOWERS ARE IMPLODED AT POWER PLANT

FLA.» Two cooling JACKSONVILLE, towers came tumbling down in seconds Saturday as part of an effort to dismantle a power plant.

The identical, 462-foot towers were imploded at St. Johns River Power Park. After counting backward to one, a large blast sent the towers to the ground amid wild cheers. A huge cloud of smoke and dust plumed out and engulfed nearby trees.

Jacksonville Electric Authority and Florida Power & Light contracted Total Wrecking & Environmental to handle the implosion of the cooling towers and demolition of the power park for $14.5 million. The project is expected to be completed in April 2020.

They were the second-tallest cooling towers to be imploded in the world, Total Wrecking & Environmental said.

Preparation took about 10 weeks for the implosion. It was over in about 10 seconds. More than 1,500 pounds of dynamite and 12,000 linear feet of detonation were used.

The St. Johns River Power Park, a 1,264-megawatt, coal-fired electric plant, was closed in January.

Bob Self, The Florida Times-union Two cooling towers at the St. Johns River Power Park in Jacksonville, Fla., are imploded Saturday.