Zach Frailey

Power II | Shelocta, PA

Keystone Generating Station

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You may remember a shot from this same vantage point that I posted several weeks ago. The night that I shot Power, it was insanely windy, raining/snowing and the sky was full of blowing clouds. The very next night, I returned to the spot to shoot again. This night, it was cold, calm and clear. The very cold temperatures were keeping the steam low in the sky which was perfect for a long exposure. I really wanted to capture the stars in the sky above the power plant too, so shooting a 20 second exposure, I was able to do that with minimal star trails. I would have loved to have gone longer, but would have blurred the stars too much because of their motion across the sky.

Fun facts:

• At the time the Keystone Generating Station was constructed, it’s steam turbines were the largest generating units in the world.
• The plant was the first to be built away from a significant source of cooling water. The Keystone Dam was constructed a short distance away to provide cooling water year-round.
• The cooling towers at Keystone mark one of the most significant of early environmental controls on large power plants in the world.