Georgia Power to reuse coal ash from retired Plant Mitchell

Georgia Power launched plans to reuse coal ash from Plant Mitchell, a retired coal-fired power station near Albany, Ga.

This is the first time that stored ash from a site in Georgia will be excavated for beneficial reuse as part of an ash pond closure project.

“As part of our ash pond closure efforts, Georgia Power is always looking for opportunities to reuse coal ash that are beneficial for our customers and communities,” Mark Berry, vice president of Environmental & Natural Resources for Georgia Power, said. “The coal ash beneficial reuse project at Plant Mitchell will save space in landfills and ultimately serve to help produce a valuable product.”

About two million tons of stored coal ash will be removed from the existing ash ponds for reuse in Portland cement manufacturing starting this year. Coal ash has been proven to provide significant value to certain products, such as concrete, adding strength and durability.

At completion of the project, the ash pond site at Plant Mitchell will be restored as a useable property.

Georgia Power – a subsidiary of the Southern Company — recycles more than 85 percent of all ash and gypsum, including more than 95 percent of fly ash, it produces. These materials are reused for concrete production as well as other construction products.

Georgia Power is seeking to identify opportunities for the beneficial reuse of coal ash stored at active and retired coal-fired power plants across the state. The company is reviewing responses to an RFP it issued early this year.

Also, the company is partnering with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to open the Ash Beneficial Use Center – a research facility to identify, test, and speed the development of beneficial uses of coal ash. The center will be located at Georgia Power’s Plant Bowen and will allow for pilot projects and testing of technologies to increase the reuse of coal ash.