• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.472-486
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• 2015

More than 8M tons of coal ashes are generated from coal-fired thermal power plants every year in Korea. Excluding the recycled portion (Current recycling rate: approximately 70%), all of the generated coal ashes end up in coastal landfills. Currently, the difficulties faced in establishing new ash treatment fields are attributed to the concerns raised over the environmental impacts caused by the landfills at individual plant facilities. Given the number of coal-fired thermal power plants to be built in the future (reflected in the 7th Basic Plan for Long-term Electricity Supply and Demand), building new ash treatment fields or seeking a new treatment plan seems unavoidable. Based upon a review of coal ash and its management, this study concluded that the most effective and fundamental strategy to minimize the environmental impacts resulting from coal ash landfills is to avoid constructing new coal-fired powerplants and furthermore, suggests that the practice of beneficial use and recycling the produced coal wastes should be encouraged.