Georgia Power Ceasing Coal Ash Pond Operations

Atlanta, GA -- Georgia Power announced that all of the company's 29 ash ponds across the state will cease operations and stop receiving coal ash within the next three years.

Additionally, the company is completely removing the ash from 16 ponds located adjacent to lakes or rivers where advanced engineering methods, such as the installation of impermeable concrete barriers designed to isolate the closed pond from groundwater, may not be feasible.

The ash from these ponds will either be relocated to a permitted landfill, consolidated with other closing ash ponds or recycled for beneficial use. (Approximately 50 percent of the coal ash Georgia Power produces today is recycled for various uses such as Portland cement, concrete, and cinder blocks.) The company's remaining 13 ash ponds will be closed in place using advanced engineering methods.

Click here to view a chart of all 29 ash ponds.

"We are aggressively working to close our ash ponds as quickly and safely as possible to meet EPA's new standards for handling coal ash," said Dr. Mark Berry, vice president of environmental affairs for Georgia Power. "As part of our strategy, we are also leveraging advanced technologies and engineering practices to ensure additional measures are in place that are protective of groundwater."

Throughout the closure process, Georgia Power is monitoring groundwater around all of its ash ponds and will report results to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division. Additionally, more than 500 groundwater monitoring wells will continue to operate even after the ponds are closed.

Image: Georgia Power