San Diego North County Economic Development Council

CARLSBAD -- A few folks just wanted the state Energy Commission to guarantee Wednesday that the existing Encina Power Station along Carlsbad Boulevard would be demolished soon.

"The power plant's an eyesore. Ö If you can find something appealing about it, I'd like to know," said area resident Ted Viola, who added that he'd support just about anything else ---- even a golf course ---- on the site.

But many others in the crowd of roughly 170 people at the state Energy Commission's hearing, who weren't thrilled with the plant owners' latest replacement plans, had concerns about everything from noise to visual blight.

In its proposal, currently under review by the state, NRG Energy Inc. is calling for replacing its current massive facility and 400-foot-tall smokestack with a series of smaller power stations. Monday's public hearing and site bus tour were the official kickoff of what's expected to be a one-year state review process for the first two new plants.

Lin Ball, who owns a condominium along the north side of Agua Hedionda Lagoon, said she attended the hearing because she had concerns about what the proposed changes would do to her lagoon view.

"Now I'm worried about the pollution and the noise, which I didn't even think about until I got here," she said near the close of the hearing.

Her comments came immediately after Joe Donegan, another power plant area resident, held up an orange tree branch covered with powdery black residue. He declared that the new power plants would only add to the "beautiful liquid" that's deposited on his home, deck and plants.

Representatives for NRG Energy asked him how he could be sure the black stuff came from the power plant. They stressed that new plants' equipment would be state-of-the-art. It will be an incredible improvement, they said, over the existing power station's three generators that date from the 1950s, as well as its two generators that date from the 1970s.

For starters, new equipment will not burn heavy fuel oil but much cleaner-burning natural gas, company project manager Tim Hemig said. He added that Donegan could go look at the new Palomar energy plant in Escondido to get a rough idea of what they're talking about.

Initially, the company is proposing to build two, smaller peak-style plants with a combined energy production capability of 540 megawatts, or enough to power nearly 400,000 homes. The two plants would go on 23 acres on the eastern edge of the 94-acre Encina property between Interstate 5 and the railroad tracks. Several giant oil storage tanks, most of them unused, currently occupy that area.

Once the two new plants are operational, the company is proposing to shut down the three oldest of the five generators inside the existing Encina building.

Later, the company expects to build additional small power plants and eventually demolish the current structure. When that will take place wasn't clear Monday.

The audience at Monday's hearing included all five members of Carlsbad's City Council, as well as representatives for the Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego North County Economic Development Council. The business groups strongly backed the replacement plans, saying the county needs the new plants to help end its recent summertime power shortages, which have caused temporary rolling blackout periods.

Carlsbad's City Council hasn't yet taken a position on the plans. Mayor Bud Lewis told the state commission Monday that the city had problems with the plant years ago when it was owned by San Diego Gas & Electric, and added that city officials will be asking lots of questions about the new proposal.

Meanwhile, state representatives pronounced themselves pleased with the size of Monday's audience.

"This is the largest turnout I've seen (for a power plant project) in my four years," said state project manager Mike Monasmith.