Georgia Power to Close All 29 Coal Ash Ponds

coal power plant

by | Sep 29, 2015

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coal power plantGeorgia Power is developing a closure timeline for all of its 29 coal ash ponds and expects to finalize and release the schedule within the next six months.

The company says the closure and schedule is a response to the EPA’s Coal Combustion Residual (CCR) Rule as well as the soon-to-be signed Steam Electric Effluent Limitation Guidelines.

Georgia Power is in the pre-closure process at several retired or converted coal-fired generation sites, which includes some preliminary site work such as ash relocation and tree clearing, as well as considering vendors for potential closure activities.

The company’s 29 ash ponds are located around 11 coal plants across the state: Plant Bowen (Euharlee), Plant Branch (Eatonton), Plant Hammond (Coosa), Plant Kraft (Port Wentworth), Plant McDonough (Smyrna), Plant McIntosh (Rincon), Plant McManus (Brunswick), Plant Mitchell (Albany), Plant Scherer (Macon), Plant Wansley (Carrollton), and Plant Yates (Newnan).

Georgia Power says as it has increased its use of natural gas, renewable and other non-coal sources of generation over the past decade, its production of coal ash and other byproducts has significantly declined, and it now recycles more than 50 percent of its current production.

In June Duke Energy announced plans to close an additional 12 coal ash basins in North Carolina and reused the material in lined structural fills or permanently disposed it in lined landfills. The announcement brings to 24 the total number of Carolinas basins the company is prepared to close by removing ash from its current storage locations at each power plant.

Photo Credit: coal power plant via Shutterstock

 

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