Eco Material Technologies Announces Second Beneficiation Project with Georgia Power to Harvest Double Amount of Landfilled Ash
Material from Plant Branch in Putnam County, GA, to produce stronger and longer lasting bridges and roads throughout the Southeast–
South Jordan, UTAH and ATLANTA – Eco Material Technologies (“Eco Material” or the “Company”), the nation’s leading producer of sustainable cementitious materials (“SCMs”) and near zero carbon cement replacement products, announced today an agreement with Georgia Power to harvest millions of tons of landfilled ash from Plant Branch, a coal-fired power plant that retired in 2015.
Under the agreement, Eco Material will harvest approximately 600,000 tons of landfilled ash per year from the plant in Putnam County, GA. The effort will remove and beneficially use more than 8 million tons of fly ash, doubling the production of the two companies’ partnership, over a 15-year term.
The Branch project will be the second fly ash harvesting plant in the state of Georgia, following an announcement by Eco Material and Georgia Power last year with Plant Bowen, and will utilize Eco Material’s in-house ES EcoSystem Efficient Carbon Offloading ™ technology. Construction of the fly ash harvesting plant at Plant Bowen has already begun and is expected to begin harvesting ash for processing by 2024.
The ES EcoSystem Efficient Carbon Offloading ™ technology is a proprietary solution that offers a lower-cost and greener process to reduce high carbon content in landfilled and ponded coal ash, bringing it up to required specification for use in concrete and other building materials.
The ash from Plant Branch will be used in concrete blends to repair and construct bridges, roads, and buildings in Georgia and Florida and will reduce dependance on imported materials with a proudly Made in the USA recycled product. Plant Branch will be the fourth ash harvesting and beneficiation facility operated by Eco Material and will add to the Company’s portfolio of novel supplementary cementitious material projects that include natural pozzolan beneficiation as well as Green Cement production. Once the Branch project is complete, Eco Material will have over 3 million tons per annum of novel, beneficiated SCMs to help decarbonize the North American concrete market.
“Our partnership with Georgia Power through the Plant Branch project, should be a model for the rest of the country on how to efficiently re-use stored coal ash in a way that positively benefits the construction industry, local communities and the environment,” said Grant Quasha, CEO of Eco Material Technologies. “By doubling our output in Georgia and utilizing our ES EcoSystem Efficient Carbon Offloading ™ technology, the Plant Branch facility will help meet the need for high-quality, near-zero carbon SCMs and utilize ash for productive use.”
The ash Eco Material is harvesting from Plant Branch has been proven to enhance the strength, impermeability, and durability of concrete. In common practice, the material will replace 20-25% percent of carbon intensive Portland cement in concrete mixes. Portland cement, and the concrete industry as a whole, currently account for approximately 8 percent of global carbon emissions.
Eco Material and Georgia Power have worked together for over 40 years to develop new approaches to improve environmental stewardship while offsetting both cost and carbon footprint in cementitious materials. Critically, Eco Material and Georgia Power are focused on economically addressing the issues around coal ash in a manner that will reduce waste, reduce emission and reduce costs to Georgia Power’s rate payers.
“At Georgia Power, our team across the state is committed to meeting the energy needs of our customers today, while investing in innovative ways to continue to deliver clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy for future generations of Georgians,” said Jennifer McNelly, vice president of Environmental Affairs for Georgia Power. “We work every day to be innovators in the industry, reduce our environmental impact, and find ways to deliver additional value for our customers and, with this latest beneficial reuse project at Plant Branch, we are doing just that. In addition to reducing the amount of ash going to a landfill and complementing our closure plans, projects such as this bring additional jobs and positive economic impact for the local community.”
“As concrete manufacturers continue to work to achieve carbon neutrality in production, and power companies seek modern and innovative solutions for beneficial use of coal ash, this voluntary project in Georgia is a model for the industry, directly responding to both market and environmental needs,” said Tom Adams, executive director of the American Coal Ash Association. “With the nationwide focus on improving American infrastructure including roads and bridges, demand for materials continues to outpace available supply, and collaborative projects such as this will be critical to bridging that gap in the future.”
The Branch project is being facilitated with assistance from the Putnam Development Authority (“PDA”), which has provided incentives to Eco Material to encourage “fast track” development of the Branch project. “The Putnam Development Authority is proud to be able to assist in adaptive reuse of the Plant Branch site and resources by Eco Material,” said Walter C. Rocker, III, Chairman of PDA. “Eco Material’s plan to work with Georgia Power to bring new, high-quality jobs and significant investment to our community represents a turning point toward reinvigorating the former Plant Branch site as an economic driver for our community.”
Eco Material is building a new plant onsite to harvest ash at Plant Branch with the plant’s completion expected in under two years. In addition to construction and other temporary jobs, more than 30 full-time jobs will be created for operation of the facility.
About Eco Material Technologies
Eco Material Technologies is the leading producer of sustainable cement alternatives in the U.S., serving over 4,000 unique customer locations from its 100+ sites across 45 states. The Company is the leading marketer and distributor of fly ash and other pozzolons, with the industry’s only true national footprint of logistics networks and distribution channels. Eco Material also has patented technology to convert fly ash and other materials into innovative, near-zero carbon building materials that react faster, match the one-day performance of, and after 28 days are approximately 20% stronger than traditional cement, all while reducing by approximately 99% the CO2 emissions that are traditionally associated with cement production. The Company also provides mission-critical utility services, including operations support, waste disposal, and environmental remediation. For more information, visit www.ecomaterial.com.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest electric subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), America’s premier energy company. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company’s promise to 2.7 million customers in all but four of Georgia’s 159 counties. Committed to delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy, Georgia Power maintains a diverse, innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, coal and natural gas, as well as renewables such as solar, hydroelectric and wind. Georgia Power focuses on delivering world-class service to its customers every day and the company is recognized by J.D. Power as an industry leader in customer satisfaction. For more information, visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and connect with the company on Facebook (Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower), Twitter (Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower) and Instagram (Instagram.com/ga_power).
