Georgia Power launches beneficial use project for coal ash

Georgia Power announced Wednesday that it will launch the largest coal ash beneficial use project in the United States.

The project at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, Ga., will excavate coal ash for use in concrete to be used in the construction of bridges, roads, and buildings in Georgia and throughout the Southeast.

“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, Georgia Power’s vice president of environmental affairs. “As the largest project of its kind in this country, 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.”

Currently, Georgia Power recycles 85 percent of all ash and gypsum it produces, including more than 90 percent of fly ash, for beneficial uses like concrete and other construction products.

Eco Material Technologies will manage the project. Coal ash has been shown to provide significant value for certain products like concrete. Recycling beneficial coal ash helps to reduce the need for raw materials otherwise used in production.

“As the largest partnership of its kind in the U.S., 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.”

Construction on the infrastructure needed to accommodate the Plant Bowen project will begin immediately, with the ash removal expected to begin by 2024. The company anticipates removing 600,000 tons of ash annually from the ash pond and landfill at the plant. The company expects to harvest and use 9 million tons of ash.