Pohjolan Voima will lead an EU-wide co-operation in REACH registration

The Finnish energy and forest industry companies' need to register ashes from the combustion of mixed fuels has lead to the establishment of a Mixed Ashes Consortium. Pohjolan Voima acts as the Lead Company in this EU-wide Consortium. 

The registration of mixed ashes pursuant to the EC Regulation REACH has started. Mixed ashes are ashes from combustion of bio fuels, peat, sludges from pulp and paper industry, coal and recovered fuels. According to REACH, substances which are produced or imported in quantities of 1 tonne or more in the EU must be registered.

The companies aiming at REACH registration will co-operate in carrying out the studies required by the Regulation. For this purpose they have established the Mixed Ashes Consortium. A total of 48 members from different EU-countries have already joined the Consortium. Pohjolan Voima has taken lead responsibility in the working of the Consortium aiming at the registration of ashes from the combustion of mixed fuels.

The registration of by-products of thermal power generation will improve their utilization in the future. Ash is utilized e.g. in civil engineering, construction industry or as fertilizer, and FGD gypsum (gypsum derived from the flue gas desulphurization system at the power plant) in construction industry.

The Mixed Ashes Consortium is open to all companies in the EU area aiming at registering their ashes from the combustion of bio fuels, peat and slugdes from the forest industry as required by the REACH regulation. For substances produced in quantities exceeding 1,000 tonnes annually the registration is required by 1 December 2010.

Production companies of the Pohjolan Voima Group owning coal-fired power plants have joined the specific Ash-REACH-Consortium for coal combustion ash and the Calcium Sulphate Consortium for FGD gypsum.