The Torre del Sale power station, located in Piombino, Tuscany, was once a key piece of Italy’s coastal energy infrastructure. Constructed between 1972 and 1979, the plant was officially decommissioned in 2015 after decades of intermittent operation. Commissioned by ENEL, Torre del Sale was a thermoelectric power station that burned fuel oil to produce electricity. At full capacity, the plant featured four oil-fired units and a total output of around 1,280 MW. Its two iconic 200-meter-high chimneys were visible from miles around, becoming a landmark of the Tuscan coastline.
The name Torre del Sale—literally “Tower of Salt”—comes from the nearby coastal salt marshes and an ancient watchtower that once stood near the area, historically used for salt production and trade. The location, nestled between the Tyrrhenian Sea and low-lying wetlands, made it ideal for industrial development in the mid-20th century. The facility included four boiler houses, turbine hall, fuel storage, water treatment systems, and multiple auxiliary buildings. As Italy began phasing out aging, high-emission plants, Torre del Sale fell into disuse, and by 2023, demolition had already begun.
Exploration of the Power Station
We explored the plant in late 2023, during active demolition work. One of the boilers had already been removed, and workers were still present during the day. We waited for hours, hidden near the perimeter until the last van rolled out and silence returned. With daylight fading fast, we slipped in from the back, weaving between surveillance cameras bolted to the outer walls. Our first entry point was a small building tied to the plant’s water management systems. It had a modest but surprisingly intact control room, dimly lit by sunset filtering through broken windows.
From there, we moved cautiously toward the twin chimneys, crossing an open expanse that left us fully exposed. Getting into the boilerhouse was risky but worth it: inside, the scale of the place hit us. From there we accessed the turbine hall, where all turbines were still in place, painted in striking yellow and blue. The ground floor had already been stripped of its condensators, but to our relief, the main control room was still intact. Stepping into it felt like entering a time capsule—rows of analog gauges, faded switches, and the ghost of a humming industrial past. As darkness closed in, we stood in silence, surrounded by a structure in its final days, holding onto one last breath of history.
Current state as of 2025
As of 2025, the transformation of Torre del Sale has accelerated. The turbine hall now stands completely empty, with all machinery removed, and the boilerhouses have been gutted. Most significantly, the plant’s twin chimneys—once towering symbols of Piombino’s industrial era—were demolished in a controlled explosion, permanently altering the skyline and marking the end of an era. What remains is a shell of the once-mighty facility, slowly being erased to make way for redevelopment projects that promise a new future for the area—but for us explorers, the spirit of Torre del Sale lingers in memory, if no longer in concrete and steel.
