Southern Co.'s ( NYSE: SO ) Georgia Power unit unveiled plans Wednesday to recycle more than 9M tons of coal ash stored at Plant Bowen near Cartersville, the Rome News-Tribune reports.
Georgia Power said the new project, which would be the single largest beneficial use project of its kind in the U.S., will excavate coal ash from the plant and convert it into concrete for constructing roads, bridges and buildings across Georgia and the Southeast.
The Southern Co. ( SO ) unit is spending $9B on a multi-year plan to close all 29 of its ash ponds at 11 coal-burning power plants across the state.
The company said infrastructure installation to accommodate the work at Plant Bowen will begin immediately, with ash removal expected to begin by 2024 and increasing to 600K tons/year of ash.
"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 VP of Environmental Affairs.
Georgia Power filed a request last week that would enable it to spend $7B on transmission and distribution over the next three years .
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Southern's Georgia Power to launch beneficial use project for coal ash