University of Georgia Physical Plant

The University of Georgia Physical Plant includes a coal-fired steam boiler. As of 2009 the University is working with its Biorefining and Carbon Cycling Program and Faculty of Engineering Outreach Service to determine the best long-term alternative to replace the steam production provided by the coal-fired boiler, including potential deployment of new technologies. However, neither the funding source nor a timetable for project development has been identified at this time. Until then the University announced plants to modify the operation of its steam plant over the summer by shutting down its coal-fired steam boiler from May 1 to Sept. 30.

Possible Conversion to Biomass
In March 2010 school director Ken Crowe stated that biomass may be in the coal plant's future. "There is a lot of discussion about what we will do with the coal plant over the next 10 years,” Crowe said. “We have had at least one major study that basically asked the question, if we were going to replace it with something that was a more renewable fuel source, what are the most likely alternatives? “I’m totally supportive of moving toward a wood-based fuel if it can be proven to be a reliable source of fuel, a cost-effective source of fuel, and if it can integrate reasonably into our existing system here."

In April, 2011, UGA announced it would shut down the university's 45-year-old coal-fired steam boiler, but have not yet found a suitable replacement. The boiler is one of four the university uses to produce steam for heating, cooking, lab sterilization and even cooling across campus. The other three boilers are newer and fired mainly by natural gas, which pollutes much less than coal, said Kenneth Crowe, UGA director of energy services. Crowe conducted tours of the boilers at UGA's steam plant as part of the university's Earth Week observance.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Campus coal plants
 * Existing U.S. Coal Plants
 * Opposition to existing coal plants
 * Coal
 * Coal and jobs
 * Coal-fired power plant capacity and generation
 * Coal phase-out
 * Coal plant conversion projects
 * Coal plants near residential areas

External resources

 * Anne C. Mulkern, "Colleges Are Battlegrounds for Coal Fight," Greenwire, October 14, 2009.
 * Campuses Beyond Coal Campaign, Sierra Club, September 2009.
 * "DOE Announces Winners of Annual University Coal Research Grants," July 7, 2005.
 * American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment