Most of the time when coal ash makes the news, it is for some kind of tragic reason about a spill or possible groundwater seepage. Georgia has not had a spill but spills in Tennessee and North Carolina several years ago brought major attention to the issue. Besides spill concerns, many coal ash ponds are unlined and there is concern about coal ash seeping into and contaminating groundwater.
Power companies including Georgia Power are moving away from coal power but currently and for the next few years at least, coal remains a key piece of the power portfolio from the state’s largest utility. Plant Scherer, in Monroe County, is the largest coal-fired plant in the country. It is set to shut down by 2028 but that means several years worth of ash will continue to accumulate and need to find a use or safe storage location. Across the country, there is more than 100 million tons of coal ash produced every year. Finding a consistent and clean use for that ash byproduct has long been a goal for utilities.
Georgia Power announced last week that it is partnering with Eco Material Technologies to excavate coal ash at Plant Bowen, near Cartersville, and use it for concrete production. The plan could be a major breakthrough for coal ash usage and will take millions of tons of ash out of the ground and for use to construct bridges, roads and buildings across Georgia and the Southeast. The project represents the largest of its kind in the country.
“Georgia Power is always researching and exploring new and innovative ways to reuse coal ash that is beneficial to our customers and our communities. Finding and securing these opportunities to beneficially use coal ash will not only reduce and save space in landfills, but will also serve as a financial tool to help offset the cost of ash pond closures for our customers,” said Aaron Mitchell, vice president of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power. “This project at Plant Bowen is historic for our company, and our entire industry, and we see the potential to expand beneficial use projects further in the future.”
Eco Material Technologies is based in Utah and is one of the leading producers of cement replacement products. Coal ash adds strength and durability to concrete, not only reducing the need for other raw materials but making the product better.
“This project will not only use material from landfills and ash ponds, but also keep millions of tons of CO2 from going into the atmosphere,” said Grant Quasha, CEO of Eco Material Technologies. “The harvested material will be used in concrete to make stronger and longer lasting bridges and roads and serve as a model for helping forward thinking utilities like Georgia Power and Southern Company close landfills and ash ponds, while building a greener and more sustainable planet.”
Ash removal is expected to begin by 2024, with 600,000 tons of ash per year expected to be removed from the ash pond and landfill at Plant Bowen. The final amount of ash expected to be used in this project is 9 million tons in total.
“With the nationwide focus on improving American infrastructure including roads and bridges, demand for materials continues to outpace available supply, and collaborative projects such as this will be critical to bridging that gap in the future,” said Tom Adams, executive director of the American Coal Ash Association.
