The Shimizusawa Thermal Power Plant   Location: Japan

The Shimizusawa Thermal Power Plant was built in 1926 and served as a power supply to various coal-mines in the surrounding area, which was once considered a coal capital in Japan. At the peak of the city’s coal mining industry it boasted a population of over 115,000, many of whom were either miners or their families. The industry started to dry up though during the next three decades and the last of the city’s coal-mines closed its doors in 1990 after an underground explosion that resulted in a large fire. This in turn meant the Shimizusawa Power Plant had little reason to stay open, and it ceased operations in 1991. Soon after this up to 75% of the plant was demolished, the control rooms however still remain standing.