Georgia Power has millions of tons oftoxic coal ash stored at sites around the state, the result of decades of burning coal at its power plants. Now, more of that material is set to be used to build bridges and roads around the country.
On Wednesday, the company announced plans to partner with a cement alternatives producer to harvest coal ash at another site — Plant Branch near Milledgeville — for use in concrete mixes.
Coal ash is a dust-like residue left behind from burning coal in power plants. It contains heavy metals like mercury, cadmium and arsenic, which can contaminate water supplies if not handled properly, according to the EPA. But the material is a useful additive in concrete, improving the strength and durability of the material.
Plant Branch’s coal-fired plant shuttered in 2015, but Georgia Power still has millions of tons of coal residuals sitting in watery lagoons called ash ponds on the site. The company is in the process of drying the material out, and the reuse project will keep much of the ash out of an on-site landfill when it begins operation in 2026.
Once online, the project will yield 600,000 tons of usable ash each year, according toGeorgia Power. Over its expected 15-year duration, the company said 8 million tons of ash will be excavated and processed for use in ready-mix concrete. Georgia Power is partnering on the reuse project with Eco Material Technologies, a Danville, Pennsylvania-basedconcrete alternatives producer.