Richard L Hearn Coal / Thermal power plant in Toronto Check it out !
paintballpro289 asked:
The abandoned coal power plant in Toronto/ port lands area!
The abandoned coal power plant in Toronto/ port lands area!
It was likely built as a prop for a movie by Great Lakes Studios. It wasn’t there when the R.L. Hearn was a power station.
Whale I was looking at some internet photos, I noticed that there was a jail cell-like room in the building, do you know what this was used for?
It is dangerous in there. The plant was safe after it closed with proper guards and railings but the demolition created many hazards. OPG let me in for a day in 1997 but I have not been in since.
I have heard about plans for the plant, as you probably know someone has recently died there, I go exploring to look into Toronto’s more recent history, 1890-1990’s. And the fine for trespassing is a $75 ticket, IF they find the owner, and he wants to go ahead with fining you.
We talked to someone who had recently come out and he said not to go in, we came prepared with coveralls, and hardhats but were very reluctant to go in after someone fell into a coal hopper and died just this past June or july, one of the 2.
The Hearn had a taller chimney which we argued
for the Constellation-Enwave proposal made for less ground level pollution. I supplied a lot of info to an engineer in Atlanta to prepare the bid.
Portlsnds would pollute a bit more than half as much. Portlands would be much cleaner than Hearn on coal and oil expecially pre-1971.
Ok, I’ll be sure to correct that in my video.
Portlands will be about 55% or more efficient when it is finished using natural gas compared to about 32% for the Hearn TGS. Portlands will also have lower NOx emmissions.
Oh, I heard from a worker that the pollution at portlands was far greater then hearn when it was running on natural gas.
Also, the Portlands plant is about 1/2 the size - 550 MW compared to 1200 for Hearn and likely 1/10 pollution. I helped with the plan for Toronto Hydro a few years ago and still like that plan better though.
If you want to take pictures, you should see if OPG would give you a tour of Nanticoke or Lennox GS. There are almost no photos on the web and both plants are really impressive and much the same.
If they had left it as it was, the plant could still be used for movie work.
It will likely be torn down unless some new plan emerges to convert it into an art gallery ect.
There are thousands of pictures that have been taken when it was safer and still in good shape. You don’t really want to risk your life or arrest to go in there now. I have taken tours of lots of plants over the years legally and they usually don’t mind if you bring a camera.
The big electrical control room was used and some of the equipment was used for voltage correction. The plant did not burn any coal or gas to produce power after 1983. Contractors removed all the asbestos and quite a bit of work was done to restart the plant when Mike Harris was Premier but the plan was later scrapped. The plant was largely intact when Great Lakes Studios leased the site and they did most of the demolition.
But I read in a few places that is was partly run until 1995… is this true?
I started working at the R.L Hearn in 1992 as a operator-in-training (4th class engineer) I spent 18 months studying and learning to operate on units 6,7 and 8 until late 1983. I went to work at Lakeview station in Mississauga when the Hearn was mothballed. Last power produced was June 30, 1983. I no longer work at OPG. I wrote most of the Wikipedia entry for the plant.
What was your job position/duties?
I worked there until it closed. You don’t want to go in there. All that is left is wreckage and twisted metal and it is dangerous.
Nice place… Cameraman is awesome btw