ATLANTA, June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Georgia Power today
announced the latest update on its ash pond closure strategy and
provided new details on the timeline and engineering methods being
used for all 29 of its ash ponds.
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.
Ash pond closures are site-specific and balance multiple
factors such as pond size, location, geology, and amount of
material; and each closure will be certified by a team of
independent, professional engineers. Additionally, the company must
also ensure reliable electricity for customers during the
significant construction work that must take place within each
generating plant in order to accommodate the handling of dry ash
and complete the ash pond closure process.
Georgia Power delivers clean, safe, reliable and
affordable energy through a diverse generation mix, which includes
renewable energy, such as wind and solar, along with natural gas,
nuclear and coal-fired generation. Over the last five years,
Georgia Power has safely retired or fuel-switched approximately
4,000 MW of coal and oil-fired generation and the company's
coal-fired generation capacity is nearly half of what it was in
2005.
About Georgia Power
Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern
Company (NYSE: SO), one of the nation's largest generators of
electricity. Value, Reliability, Customer Service and
Stewardship are the cornerstones of the company's promise to 2.5
million customers in all but four of Georgia's 159 counties. Committed to
delivering clean, safe, reliable and affordable energy at rates
below the national average, Georgia Power maintains a diverse,
innovative generation mix that includes nuclear, 21st century 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
consistently recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as an industry
leader in customer satisfaction. For more information,
visit www.GeorgiaPower.com and
connect with the company on Facebook
(Facebook.com/GeorgiaPower) and Twitter
(Twitter.com/GeorgiaPower).
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking
Statements
Certain information contained in this release is
forward-looking information based on current expectations and plans
that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information
includes, among other things, statements concerning the method and
timing of closure of coal ash ponds. Georgia Power Company
cautions that there are certain factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the forward-looking information
that has been provided. The reader is cautioned not to put undue
reliance on this forward-looking information, which is not a
guarantee of future performance and is subject to a number of
uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside the
control of Georgia Power Company; accordingly, there can be no
assurance that such suggested results will be realized. The
following factors, in addition to those discussed in Georgia Power Company's Annual Report on Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31,
2015, and subsequent securities filings, could cause actual
results to differ materially from management expectations as
suggested by such forward-looking information: the impact of recent
and future federal and state regulatory changes, including
environmental laws regulating emissions, discharges, and disposal
to air, water, and land, and also changes in tax and other laws and
regulations to which Georgia Power Company is subject, as well as
changes in application of existing laws and regulations; current
and future litigation, regulatory investigations, proceedings, or
inquiries; the ability to control costs and avoid cost overruns
during the development and construction of facilities; the ability
to construct facilities in accordance with the requirements of
permits and licenses and to satisfy any environmental performance
standards; state and federal rate regulations and the impact of
pending and future rate cases and negotiations, including rate
actions relating to fuel and other cost recovery mechanisms;
catastrophic events such as fires, earthquakes, explosions, floods,
hurricanes and other storms, droughts, pandemic health events such
as influenzas, or other similar occurrences; and the effect of
accounting pronouncements issued periodically by standard-setting
bodies. Georgia Power Company expressly disclaims any
obligation to update any forward-looking
information.
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SOURCE Georgia Power