Dec 24 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jenna Mink The Daily News, Bowling Green, Ky.

They currently sit in a landfill in Russellville, but they will soon be turned into electricity.

The Tennessee Valley Authority Paradise Fossil Fuel plant in Drakesboro plans to burn recovered paint chips from the General Motors Bowling Green Assembly Plant, turning the would-be waste into energy.

"If you look at it, we're taking something that has been going into a landfill," said Greg Nunley, plant manager. "We're looking for alternatives to make our unit efficiently burn fuels that are less costly. Paint would fall into both those categories."

The project, dubbed "From Vettes to Watts," is the first of its kind for TVA and one of few nationwide. It is slated to kick off in mid-January after plant officials get required permits from the state.

When GM workers overspray vehicles with paint, the extra paint is collected and taken to a non-hazardous landfill in Russellville. When the project begins, the wasted paint will be transported to the Drakesboro TVA plant instead. Then, workers will crush and melt the chips and burn them to generate electricity. The process is like burning coal, only cheaper, Nunley said.

"Everyone is familiar with fuel-cost adjustments, and those are driven by the price of coal, which has gone up dramatically over the past year," Nunley said. "By far, the biggest part of my budget is coal cost."

The plant will burn about 360 tons of paint chips a year -- equaling 2,600 kilowatts of electricity a day -- at no cost. Energy prices have skyrocketed for consumers this year because the price of coal has increased. This year, the Drakesboro plant spent $192 million on coal. Next year, the projected coal cost will total about $352 million. TVA produces electricity for 158 utilities and 9 million customers in seven southeastern states, including southcentral Kentucky.

The project also saves money for GM by eliminating landfill fees, Nunley said.

"GM is committed to actions to restore and preserve the environment, reduce waste and pollutants, conserve resources and recycle materials at every stage of the product life cycle," GM plant manager Paul Graham said in a news release. "The Vettes to Watts initiative will allow GM to maintain its commitment to reducing the amount of land filled waste produced by the Bowling Green plant."

The project also plays a role in sustainability efforts, emitting less mercury than coal.

"There's been an effort trying to figure out how to get mercury out," Nunley said.

Some have raised questions about harmful toxins that are associated with paint, but those dangerous chemicals are eliminated once the paint dries, Nunley said.

"You hear nasty stuff about paint," he said. "Once the paint dries, that goes out; the harmful chemicals evaporate. Once it hardens, it's non-toxic."

For now, plant operators are waiting to receive necessary permits and preparing the plant for the new project. Nunley became interested in the project when a waste management official, who handles paint waste from the Corvette plant, pitched the idea to him.

Nunley researched and discovered a fuel plant in St. Louis, which performs a similar project with Chrysler paint chips -- a process that has been successful for both plants, he said.

"The thing that really got our attention was the project in St. Louis is being studied by Washington University," and Nunley was impressed with the results, he said. "At the end of the day, it looked like a win-win project for everybody."

After analyzing the process and making sure it would not negatively impact the plant's systems, Nunley decided to run with the idea, and he thinks other plants will invest in similar projects.

"If it turns out to be as big of a win-win project as I think it's going to be, I think it will open up doors," he said. "If we prove this works and we get all the benefits we think we will, it would be replicated throughout the state."

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