Sales of ash from Fiddlers Ferry to continue

Power Minerals Ltd say closure of power station in the North West will not interrupt supplies of ash

A UK company that supplies millions of tonnes of power station ash to industry says it is ‘business as usual’ despite the announced closure of one its coal-fired power station partners.

Power Minerals Ltd, who are owned by German power giant STEAG, supply ash for use in cement, ground stabilization, roads, construction and infrastructure projects, identifying sustainable uses for the by-products of coal-fired power generation.

The firm is the UK’s leading independent supplier of power station ash and has agreements with many of the country’s coal-fired power stations, including Fiddlers Ferry in the North West, the closure of which was announced last week.

But Power Minerals bosses have reassured customers that the supply of ash from Fiddlers Ferry will not be interrupted by the closure – thanks to the huge ash stockpiles that have built up at the site over decades of power generation.

‘There is no doubt that trends are changing in the energy sector and that coal-fired power is coming to an end,’ said Power Minerals’ managing director, Nigel Waldron, ‘but the supply of ash and by-products will continue for a long time yet.

‘Power station ash is a very useful and flexible by-product that provides a sustainable ingredient for all kinds of industrial processes – it’s in everything from bricks and roads to motorway bridges and roof tiles – and we have millions of tonnes of it in stockpiles across the UK and around the world, which will last for generations.

‘The ash created by Fiddlers Ferry over the years will continue to find a sustainable use.’

Power Minerals will continue to supply ash from Fiddlers Ferry and continue to employ staff in the management of ash recovery, processing and sales to serve their customers.

Ash supplied by Power Minerals has been used in bridge abutments and slip road embankments for the huge A50 project in Staffordshire, as a cement replacement in the concrete structures of the A14 improvement scheme in Cambridgeshire and to stabilize the ground where the M8 has been widened in Scotland.

Power station ash from sites such as Fiddlers Ferry also provides a more sustainable ingredient for the cement and building products industry, as it reduces the amount of cement required in concrete and, therefore, the products made using ash by-products have a smaller carbon footprint.

The UK Government has committed to ending coal-fired electricity generation by 2025, and Parliament recently confirmed it hopes to achieve a net-zero carbon-emissions target by 2050. The use of coal ash is expected to continue to play a major role in achieving these targets.

‘We have, as a company, seen this change coming and have been preparing for several years – drawing up new agreements, looking at new technology, changes to logistics and building an import network to ensure we have a robust supply chain for our customers,’ Mr Waldron added.