This plan to repurpose coal ash from the Mobile area “would be a big win”

A new facility is in the works near Mobile, Alabama, that will help put millions of tons of coal ash to use. Thanks to a partnership between Eco Material Technologies and Alabama Power, this project will play a big part in protecting Alabama’s waterways and transforming the coal ash into useful material. Keep reading for all the details.

Eco Material Technologies + Alabama Power are teaming up

Millions of tons of coal ash from Plant Barry will soon be used in bridges, roads and buildings throughout the southeast. In January 2024, Eco Material Technologies and Alabama Power announced a collaboration effort to harvest millions of tons of stored ash from Plant Barry, a coal- and natural gas-fired electrical generation facility in Bucks, Alabama. 

Under the agreement, Eco Material will harvest more than 700,000 tons of stored ash per year from the plant. The effort will remove and beneficially use millions of tons of ash over the term of the agreement.

The ash from Barry will be used in concrete blends to repair and construct bridges, roads, and buildings in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana, reducing dependence on imported materials with a proudly Made in the USArecycled product. 

Construction of the Plant Barry harvesting plant is expected to begin in 2024. The new facility is expected to be in service by Jan. 2026.  

Thoughts from Mobile Baykeeper

Bucks, Alabama is located about 30 minutes north of Mobile. This project could have a big impact on the Mobile Bay’s cleanliness, and Mobile Baykeeper is “cautiously optimistic” about the development’s potential:

“We’ve been working fiercely for almost a decade to prevent coal ash from being left in an unlined pit polluting groundwater and the Mobile River, not to mention work to mitigate the threat of a catastrophic spill. After these many years of meetings with Alabama Power, water testing, permit hearings, community meetings, letter campaigns, and even litigation, it’s encouraging to finally see tangible action moving ash out of this site and away from the Mobile River.

As with any big announcement like this, the devil’s in the details. We are still trying to understand the details of this project and what Alabama Power’s long-term commitment will be. 700,000 tons/year of coal ash harvested or recycled is about 3% of the ash on-site. This is both a real change and something that will have to be carried out for decades to effectively protect the Mobile River and Delta.

Overall, I’d say we’re cautiously optimistic. After nine years of working on this issue this is the most meaningful action Alabama Power has taken to date to fix their flawed cap-in-place plan at Plant Barry and protect Alabamians and their waterways. If they follow through, and this plan effectively removes the ash, then it would be a big win. Unfortunately, we don’t have the details, yet, to be confident in whether this plan will achieve that or not.”

Caine O’Rear, Communications Director, Mobile Baykeeper

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