Georgia Power plans to phase out coal, but coal ash remains a challenge

The coal-fired Plant Scherer, one of the nation’s top carbon dioxide emitters, stands in the distance in Juliette, Ga. Georgia Power officials say they are planning to phase out coal but coal ash remains an expensive challenge. (AP Photo/Branden Camp, File)

While Georgia Power is planning to retire its coal fleet, the state’s biggest utility still has to deal with coal ash, a byproduct from burning all that coal.

The company fielded questions about how it’s handling the toxic material at a hearing this week, where officials also laid out their plans for generating energy over the coming decades.

At the first day of hearings with the state Public Service Commission, Georgia Power officials explained their decision to phase out coal.