UGA President Says Nothing Has Been Decided About Burning Coal

UGA burns a whole lot less coal than it used to, said President Michael Adams during a Thursday media briefing. But it does continue to burn coal in one of the four boilers that provide power to the university.

The price differential is such that UGA would be "remiss in our feduciary responsibility" if they didn't buy coal, Adams said.

Shifting the power source away from coal to something else--be that natural gas or biomass or even electricity--will cost $80 to $100 million, according to Adams.

But using solely natural gas doesn't sit well with the outgoing president. At times, UGA has experienced "severe interruptions with natual gas flow," he said, and has relied on coal to keep the university powered up.

"People will tell you not to put all your eggs in one basket," Adams said.

Over the years, UGA has looked at study after study on coal. The school has added equipment to the coal boiler to lessen the amount of pollution it spews out. It has considered the idea of letting biomass take the place of coal, but rejected it because of the number of trucks that would bring the necessary biomass through campus to the boiler.

"Nothing has been decided," Adams said. "Everybody is against coal until the lights and the power go out."

Subscribe to the Athens Patch Newsletter, like us on Facebook,  follow Athens Patch on Twitter