There were some monumental sights awaiting our team when CCR Energy took control of the decommissioned Aberthaw power station in 2023.
Half a century of coal-fired energy production had left a significant legacy – including an 18 million tonne, 50-metre high mountain of Pulverised Fuel Ash.
Once considered little more than waste to be disposed of, this ‘PFA’ is could now potentially be a hugely-valuable resource – much prized for its carbon neutrality, as a sustainable material for construction and manufacturing, with immense potential for recycling and reuse in the circular economy.
So what are our plans for an ash mound that brings both significant environmental benefits – and substantial commercial worth?
And how can we help deliver the Welsh Government strategy for a cleaner built environment – in an ecosystem where materials never become waste, and nature is regenerated at every opportunity?
50-metres high and ready to create a clean growth future
When we gaze up at the 160-feet high mound of ash that sits on the eastern side of our 500 acre site, we’re looking at much more than the end result of countless tonnes of coal pulverised at extreme temperatures in the old furnaces of Aberthaw.
We’re looking at a material that will be used to – quite literally – build a new and sustainable world.
This ‘coal combustion ash’ housed at Aberthaw is capable of being used ‘cleanly’ in everything from everyday cement and concrete, through to the 3D printing manufacturing innovations that are creating the new world around us.
And given the high-value of our PFA, we’re collaborating with partners in the UK and potentially overseas, exploring many different avenues to make the most of this phenomenal resource …
A collaboration built on compliance
In February, having engaged with WSP UK Limited to conduct an initial feasibility study, we put out a powerful ‘call-to-market’ to any organisation with the expertise to help repurpose the PFA.
It’s wonderful to report that we received an extremely strong response – and were able to provide many expert enterprises with an initial excavation of 20 Tonnes of material for testing, as part of a project funded by the Welsh Government.
Making those carefully-bagged samples of ash available to market players with the know-how and commitment to test the material has proven to be an inspired idea – with our ‘shout out’ resulting in numerous organisations sharing their findings with CCR Energy, giving us a deep understanding of the opportunities that could be fulfilled by the PFA at Aberthaw.
Regulatory compliance has naturally been at the heart of our approach throughout all this activity – our extensive consultations with Natural Resources Wales (NRW) securing approval for the first excavation phase, and ensuring compliance for subsequent phases, while high-level discussions with the Vale of Glamorgan Local Planning Authority has focused on maximising the potential of PFA recovery operations, in the most responsible way possible.
A commercial plan inspired by market insight
With all that data and evidence being gathered from many different quarters, what have we learned so far?
This pioneering project has already provided an informed view of how the recovery of PFA at Aberthaw can offer real-world environmental and economic benefits… shaping a commercial plan that will generate evergreen profits while delivering significant carbon reductions, a major decrease in quarried materials, and a tangible boost for the circular economy.
Every single strand of that insight has empowered us to think about what a commercial strategy for PFA could look like. As our journey of discovery continues, not just in the possible uses of PFA as a major ingredient in many circular economy innovations around the world – but as part of a revolutionary remediation process that’s paving the way for transforming a boundary-breaking brownfield site into a centre of sustainability capable of meeting the energy needs of homes and businesses across Wales, the UK and beyond.