Encina Power Station (EPS) was a large

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

and

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

-fueled electricity generating plant in

Carlsbad Carlsbad may refer to: Geographical locations * Carlsbad, California, San Diego County, United States ** Carlsbad Santa Fe Depot, NRHP ID No. 93001016 * Carlsbad, New Mexico, United States ** Carlsbad Caverns National Park ** Carlsbad Irriga ...

San Diego County, California San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county (United States), county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its Mexico-United States border, border with Mexico. As of the 2020 United States Cen ...

. Constructed in 1954, it was one of the major suppliers of electricity for the region. On December 11, 2018, the plant was put into "retired" status and officially stopped operations. Under an agreement approved by

NRG Energy NRG Energy, Inc. is an American energy company, headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was formerly the wholesale arm of Northern States Power Company (NSP), which became Xcel Energy, but became independent in 2000. NRG Energy is involved in energ ...

, SDG&E and the City of Carlsbad in January 2014, NRG was to tear down the old plant within three years of its retirement. The plant was owned by NRG Energy.

Location

EPS sits on the southern shore of the outer segment of Agua Hedionda Lagoon; once a stinking pool at low tide due to development of Highway 101, it was opened to a continuous tidal flow to create a cooling system that was constructed along with the plant. 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 served as EPS' source for its once-through cooling and is also owned by NRG Energy. In 2015, Connecticut-based Poseidon Resources Corp. constructed the US$300 million Carlsbad desalination plant at the site, adjacent to the power plant. The facility was designed to produce of drinking water per day, enough to supply about 100,000 homes.

Retirement

NRG had announced plans to expand 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. The closing of the

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a permanently closed nuclear power plant located south of San Clemente, California, on the Pacific coast, in Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region IV. The plant was shut down in 2013 after de ...

(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 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. On December 11, 2018, the plant ceased power generating operations and has been demolished . It was replaced by a 530 megawatt peaker plant known as the Carlsbad Energy Center.

References

{{Reflist Energy infrastructure completed in 1954 Buildings and structures in San Diego County, California Natural gas-fired power stations in California Oil-fired power stations in California Carlsbad, California NRG Energy