Coal ash is possibly the largest pollution legacy of coal-fired power production in the Hunter yet remarkably it receives relatively little attention in discussions about the region's transition to a clean energy economy.
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About 200 million tonnes of the material is currently dumped in unlined sites across NSW, with more than half of the material stored in the Hunter and Central Coast.
The quantity is growing by about 3.8 million tonnes a year.
In recent years, several reports have hailed the material's potential use in 'green cement', road base and fill material for mine site rehabilitation.
Unfortunately there has been relatively little to show for all this potential other than a few token demonstration projects.
But a new agreement between AGL and waste remediation company NuRock offers new hope.
The companies have teamed up to investigate the feasibility of converting millions of tonnes of coal ash at Bayswater Power Station into construction bricks.
If successful, AGL estimates the project could provide up to 30 full time local jobs.
The project would also complement AGL's plans to convert the land occupied by Liddell and Bayswater power stations into a clean energy park.
Applications for the recycled product include major regional transport projects such as the M1 extension at Raymond Terrace and the Singleton and Muswellbrook bypasses.
NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean recently told a budget estimates hearing that coal ash recycling projects may also feature in a jobs creation package designed to support workers displaced by the closure of coal-fired power plants.
"The government has just announced a half-a-billion-dollar jobs package to catalyse the development of new industries," Mr Kean said.
"This (coal ash recycling) could possibly fall into that," he said in response to a question by Greens MP Abigail Boyd, who chaired a NSW Parliament public works committee inquiry into the impacts of coal ash."
Technological advancements combined with a serious commitment by governments and corporations to invest in coal ash recycling products offer hope that what was once considered as a toxic legacy can play an important role in building a clean energy future.
Issue: 39856
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Matthew Kelly
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
Matthew Kelly has worked as a journalist for more than 25 years. He has been working as a general reporter at the Newcastle Herald since 2018. In recent years he has reported on subjects including environment, energy, water security, manufacturing and higher education. He has previously covered issues including the health and environmental impacts of uncovered coal wagons in the Hunter Valley, the pollution of legacy of former industrial sites and freedom of information issues.
