Country United States Status Operational | Commission date 1954 Units operational 5 | |
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Similar Agua Hedionda Lagoon, Moss Landing Power Pl, Buena Vista Lagoon, South Carlsbad State Bea, Carlsbad State Beach | ||
Coaster by encina power station
The Encina Power Station (EPS) is a large natural gas and oil-fueled electricity generating plant located in Carlsbad, California, in San Diego County. Constructed in 1954, it is one of the major suppliers of electricity for the region as well as one of the region's oldest. The plant is owned by NRG Energy.
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LocationEdit
EPS sits on the southern shore of the outer segment of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon; once a stinking pool at low tide, it was opened to a continuous tidal flow to create a cooling system that was constructed along with the plant. Now home to Blue Herons, Ibises, and a multitude of aquatic life, the lagoon is attached to the ocean and other waterways through rising tide levels and various small creeks. The lagoon serves as EPS' source for its once-through cooling and is also owned by NRG Energy.
FutureEdit
NRG had announced plans to expand the Encina Power Station with the construction of a new 588-megawatt plant on a plot of land adjacent to the current site. This has been met with considerable political opposition by local homeowners and environmentalists. The City of Carlsbad issued an injunction against the construction of a new plant, but as of the summer of 2010 plans for the new plant were still moving forward.
There are also plans to build a desalination plant at the site. A January 17, 2008, article in the Wall Street Journal states, "In November, Connecticut-based Poseidon Resources Corp. won a key regulatory approval to build the US$300 million water-desalination plant in Carlsbad, north of San Diego. The facility would produce 50,000,000 US gallons (190,000,000 l; 42,000,000 imp gal) of drinking water per day, enough to supply about 100,000 homes ... Improved technology has cut the cost of desalination in half in the past decade, making it more competitive ... Poseidon plans to sell the water for about US $950 per acre-foot [1,200 cubic metres (42,000 cu ft)]. That compares with an average US$700 an acre-foot [1200 m³] that local agencies now pay for water." $1,000 per acre-foot works out to $3.06 for 1,000 gallons, or $.81 for 1 cubic meter, which is the unit of water measurement that residential water users are accustomed to being billed in.
In November 2012, the state court of appeals affirmed the trial court’s rejection of the last remaining legal challenge to the desalination project, and financing the following month. Construction began in 2013 and was 25% complete by early 2014.
The closing of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) about 30 miles north led to city officials approving the new state-of-the-art power plant in January 2014. As of May 2014, a gas-fired facility will sit adjacent to the Encina Power Station and eventually replace the 400-ft smokestack. In May 2015, plans to modify the plant to a natural gas facility were approved by the Public Utilities Commission; construction is planned to begin in 2016.