Minnesota Valley Power Plant

Demolition, Blasting

Project Overview

Veit contracted with Xcel Energy to perform remediation at the Minnesota Valley Generating Plant in Granite Falls, MN.

Veit’s responsibilities include prep work and explosive demolition of the boiler house structures, coal yard remediation, and disposal. Surface water and groundwater was controlled per SWPPP by physically separating the stormwater system for the demolition zone from existing stormwater arrangements for adjacent site areas and implementation of construction sequencing to minimize duration of work along the river, additional erosion protection and sediment controls for areas with runoff or potential runoff to the river, capture and treatment of water contacting potentially contaminating demolition debris, and deployment of a downstream floating sediment curtain.

The Minnesota Valley plant was originally built in 1930 and expanded in 1953. The coal-fired plant generated 75 megawatts of energy. It was retired in 2009. The plant’s twin stacks stand 280 feet above the Minnesota River Valley in Granite Falls.

Xcel Energy cleaned up and recycled the concrete, brick and metals from the plant’s structure, including iron, steel, copper, aluminum and brass. The area will be backfilled, graded and seeded for restoration to a vegetated area.