ASHEVILLE, N.C., December 5, 2007 — The Asheville Regional Airport Authority (ARAA) is partnering with Charah, Inc. and Progress Energy Carolinas on a project that will help expand the airport’s operations.
As part of the agreement, Progress Energy will provide 650,000 cubic yards of coal ash from the company’s Asheville Plant, located in Skyland, N.C., to be used as structural fill for the airport’s North General Aviation Expansion Project. The 15-acre project begins this month and will take approximately 18 months to complete.
“We are excited about being a community partner with Charah and Progress Energy,” said Airport Authority Chairman Bryan Freeborn. “This partnership allows us to prepare for new facilities here at Asheville Regional Airport, and that means more local jobs.”
Louisville, Ky.-based Charah, Inc., a leading ash management provider for the coal-fired electric utility industry, will manage the site preparations as a GreenFill™ project – a project that replaces natural resources, such as clay, sand, soil or gravel, with coal ash or other coal combustion product. In 2005, 8.4 million tons of coal-combustion products including coal ash were used in the U.S. for fill projects – a beneficial use encouraged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Charles Price, president and CEO of Charah, Inc., said, “This is an excellent opportunity for Charah to bring GreenFill technology to Buncombe County. At Charah, we are dedicated to preserving natural resources by using coal-combustion products in ways that benefit individuals and communities.”
Coal ash and other combustion products produced at electric power plants are valuable resources. Each ton of coal ash used in the manner proposed replaces the need for one ton of a natural resource.
“This partnership provides an environmentally responsible solution to meeting a regional need,” said Robert Sipes, Progress Energy’s vice president-Western Region. “Constructively reusing this material keeps it out of a landfill and benefits not only our customers but the entire region.”
“This partnership and creative plan to recycle coal ash helps Western North Carolina by supporting a sustainable environment,” said Karen Cragnolin, Executive Director of Riverlink.
“Coal ash has been used for decades in large projects such as the Hoover Dam and Boston’s Big Dig as well as at airports in Texas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” said David N. Edwards, Airport Director. “Uniting as a team creates a win-win scenario for Western North Carolina.”
For more information visit these Web sites:
Airport expansion – Asheville Regional Airport Authority at www.flyavl.com
GreenFill project management– Charah, Inc. at www.charah.com
Asheville Plant and coal combustion products – Progress Energy at progress-energy.com/wnc
About the Asheville Regional Airport Authority
In 1979, the Asheville Regional Airport Authority Board was established under North Carolina Statutes by Buncombe County and the City of Asheville to maintain, operate, regulate and improve the airport while enhancing the economy of the region. Since its creation, the Authority has been successful in the development and operation of the airport and has matured into a fully self-sustaining enterprise requiring no local financial assistance for its operations, maintenance or capital programs.
The Board is comprised of seven members. Three are appointed by the Asheville City Council, three by Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, and the seventh is appointed by the six as the at-large member. Authority meetings are currently held on the second Friday of the month and are open to the public.
Asheville Regional Airport was constructed between 1958 and 1960 at a cost of $2.2 million. It began operation in 1961 and serves Western North Carolina. For more information visit www.flyavl.com.
About Progress Energy
Progress Energy (NYSE: PGN), headquartered in Raleigh, N.C., is a Fortune 250 energy company with more than 21,000 megawatts of generation capacity and $10 billion in annual revenues. The company includes two major utilities that serve more than 3.1 million customers in the Carolinas and Florida. Progress Energy is the 2006 recipient of the Edison Electric Institute’s Edison Award, the industry’s highest honor, in recognition of its operational excellence. The company also is the first utility to receive the prestigious J.D. Power and Associates Founder’s Award for customer service. Progress Energy serves two fast-growing areas of the country, and the company is pursuing a balanced approach to meeting the future energy needs of the region. That balance includes increased energy efficiency programs, investments in renewable energy technologies and a state-of-the-art electricity system. For more information about Progress Energy, visit the company’s Web site at progress-energy.com/wnc.
About Charah
Charah®, Inc. is a leading ash management provider for the coal-fired electric utility industry. Based in Louisville, KY, Charah provides a complete line of ash management services including landfill construction, management & operations; bottom ash processing & marketing; fly ash sales; engineered fill applications; ash pond management; Integrated Gasification Combine Cycle (IGCC) slag beneficiation; gypsum handling, and limestone grinding and handling.
Charah is a charter member of the EPA’s Coal Combustion Products Partnership (C2P2) which encourages beneficial use of coal by-products. In April 2005, Charah was awarded the C2P2’sfirst place award for Innovation by the EPA for outstanding achievement in increasing the amount of coal-combustion products (CCPs) beneficially used in its patent-pending ash-based packaged concrete.
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