LafargeHolcim, Geocycle, CenterPoint invest $80M to reuse power plant coal ash

CenterPoint Energy Inc., LafargeHolcim Ltd. and its subsidiary Geocycle US Inc. invested over $80 million in infrastructure to remove, process, transport, store and recycle the coal ash produced at CenterPoint's A.B. Brown generating station in Evansville, Ind., for use at LafargeHolcim's flagship cement plant in Ste. Genevieve, Mo.

Since 2009, Geocycle has managed the ongoing supply of nearly 1.5 million tons of dry fly-ash waste from A.B. Brown, as well as CenterPoint's F.B. Culley and Warrick generating stations, for beneficial reuse at the Ste. Genevieve site.

The companies recently achieved the first barge shipment of nearly 2,000 tons of reclaimed material from a 165-acre pond at the A.B. Brown plant, according to a Nov. 15 news release.

The barge shipment represents the next phase of a multiyear initiative between the companies, which is expected to result in the recovery and recycling of more than 6 million tons of coal ash for beneficial reuse in producing cement.

With material sourcing and testing, the initiative advances the treatment of ponded coal-ash material for beneficial reuse in the production of more environmentally friendly concrete mixes, according to the release.

"This milestone is a tangible example of how industry participants together can develop creative and efficient solutions that contribute to the circular economy," said Toufic Tabbara, CEO for U.S. cement at LafargeHolcim. "Together, LafargeHolcim, Geocycle and CenterPoint Energy will avoid landfilling for power plants and reduce the consumption of non-renewable raw materials."

To mitigate environmental risks, federal regulations are mandating the closure of ash ponds and encouraging the recycling of the materials to achieve environmental and economic benefits.

Only 52% of the 78.6 million tons of coal ash produced in electricity generation in 2019 was beneficially reused, with the remaining 37.6 million tons disposed of in landfills or retention ponds, according to the American Coal Ash Association. There are more than 2 billion tons of landfilled ash in the U.S.