Tonight at midnight, Concord Steam Corporation will turn off its boilers and close its doors. The plant provided heat in Concord for nearly 80 years.
Plant owner Peter Bloomfield said it will take one switch to turn off the boilers, a couple of days for them to cool, and then they'll be emptied.
Once the only municipal district heating system in New Hampshire, Concord Steam struggled to compete with natural gas.
"It's pretty depressing, you know, shutting down an old institution," Bloomfield said.
Customers and rights of way will be sold to Liberty Utility. Concord Steam's customers included many old buildings in downtown Concord - including the State House. Those buildings were designed for steam heat, and are in the process of converting their systems.
