Florida Power & Light Topples Last Coal Chimney

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MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) -- Florida Power & Light imploded its last coal-fired generating plant on Wednesday.

Puffs of smoke came from the base of the 495-foot stack and then it fell to the side in one piece, kicking up a large cloud of dust as it smashed into the ground.

A demolition company used 171 pounds of explosives to implode the stack and an adjoining conveyor building in Indiantown, 30 miles north of West Palm Beach.

The plant was built in 1995 and FPL purchased it in 2016. It shut the plant down more than two years ago.

FPL will tear down the rest of the plant later this year. The company hasn't said what it will do with the site, but it has been investing heavily in natural gas and solar-powered plants.

FPL is the state's largest electricity producer, serving most of the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf Coast south of Tampa Bay.