Former coal-fired power plant being razed to make way for offshore wind electricity connection

A giant smokestack that was part of the landscape for millions of tourists heading to beaches on the southern New Jersey shore is coming down Thursday morning. The 463-foot stack at the B.L. England power plant is being imploded to make way for the site's new use as a connection point to the electrical grid for offshore wind power. The plant, which burned coal and oil, closed in 2019. The site in Upper Township will be used to connect a cable from the wind energy company Orsted, which is building New Jersey's first offshore wind farm about 15 miles off the coast of Ocean City.