Vectren finalizes plan for beneficial reuse for coal ash pond excavation, recycling
Vectren, a CenterPoint Energy company, announced Wednesday that ponded coal ash from its southwestern Indiana generating station, A.B. Brown, will be excavated and recycled for reuse.
The company signed a multi-year agreement for the excavation, conversion, and recycling of up to 6 million tons of ponded ash, beginning in 2021.
The partnership is a result of the federally mandated Coal Combustion Residuals Rule (CCR), which requires certain compliance measures for the long-term closure plans of coal ash ponds.
Vectren filed this week an application with the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) to recover the costs associated with the ash pond remediation. The company plans to begin constructing soon the infrastructure required to transport the coal ash to the Ohio River for transport by the manufacturer that will reuse it.
“This partnership with the manufacturer is an ideal solution – the material is removed from the environment, it will be used for beneficial purposes, and the cost to customers will be less than other viable compliance options,” Lynnae Wilson, chief business officer of Indiana Electric, said. “Vectren’s decision to recycle the ponded coal ash reduces the impact on the environment and allows for the safe, clean closure of the A.B. Brown coal ash pond.”
Since 2009, Vectren has been shipping dry fly ash from its A.B. Brown, F.B. Culley and Warrick coal plants for use as a raw material in cement manufacturing.
