TROUSDALE COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Tennessee Valley Authority imploded a defunct cooling tower in Trousdale County Thursday morning.

The implosion of the single tower, which was part of the cancelled Hartsville Nuclear Plant project, took place around 6:30 a.m.

The Trousdale County Sheriff’s Office created a safe viewing area for the operation.

Spectators were directed to proceed to State Highway 25 East, continue to Starlight Road, then onto Tennessee Central Boulevard, and finally take a left turn onto Macon Way. Several areas were restricted with officers and deputies actively patrolling.

A temporary flight restriction was in place for unmanned aircraft from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. for a one-mile radius and 3,000 feet of elevation.

Construction on the nuclear plant in Hartsville commenced in 1977; however, the project was discontinued in 1984. The site remained unused until 2016, when the Trousdale Turner Correctional Center launched there as a prison facility.

In January 2024, three individuals faced charges after one of them leaped from the tower following a paragliding landing on the premises. Authorities mentioned they belonged to a group of professionally-trained extreme athletes who document their exploits online.

The Trousdale County sheriff reported that trespassing had occurred in the past. He indicated that some individuals attempted to break into the former nuclear plant under the impression that it held classified government information.