Days numbered for key feature of Charlottetown skyline

For decades the two stacks of a combustion power plant have marked the Charlottetown skyline, but Maritime Electric is now making plans to take them down.

Work is underway to decommission the utility's generator on the Charlottetown waterfront that has been used to provide backup power at peak times.

"It will be part of our long-term plan over the next couple of years for the plant decommissioning," said Maritime Electric spokesperson Kim Griffin.

"The city's skyscape, in terms of seeing those stacks, the intention is to have those removed."

Work is just beginning on the project, said Griffin.

The company filed an environmental assessment with the province in June that is currently being examined by a technical review committee. That plan will go to the public in the fall, with a public meeting scheduled for September.

There is a lot to think about when decommissioning a decades-old power plant, said Griffin. In addition to environmental considerations, there is planning for safety in the taking down of the stacks and for minimum disruption to the surrounding neighbourhood.

It will be a lengthy process and timelines are not yet firm, but the stacks will likely be gone by the end of 2024.

Maritime Electric is also making plans for a new storage depot, a 3,200-square-foot, two-storey building, on the same Cumberland Street property. A public meeting regarding that building is scheduled for July 26.