Xcel starts tearing down Black Dog Chimney in Burnsville, Minn.
BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The demolition of a chimney at a Burnsville, Minnesota power plant marks the end of an era, as the facility tears down a remnant of its coal-burning past.
Xcel Energy has started dismantling the chimney at the Black Dog power plant. The 600-foot tall chimney, which has stood along the banks of the Mississippi River for more than 50 years, is now no longer needed as the power plant has transitioned from coal to natural gas.
The change won't be the last for Black Dog as Xcel hopes to reduce the facility's carbon output by 80 percent by 2030 and make it 100 percent carbon-free by 2050.
Xcel says the chimney will be taken down piece by piece with work set to be completed in October.