The Tribune

ASHLAND, Ky. (AP) — Demolition could start as early as Monday on the shuttered Ashland Coke Plant owned by AK Steel.

AK Steel has secured a permit and hired a contractor to demolish the plant and company spokeswoman Barry Racey told The Independent that the demolition probably will be completed by mid-2013.

The plant closed in 2011, which had employed 263 people. The coke plant produced a fuel made by baking coal in large ovens and is a key material in making steel.

The coke plant had been considered non-compliant with the Clean Air Act for about three years before its closing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Commissioner Kevin Gunderson said the demolition will allow the property to be developed for industrial use.