NRG Energy to demolish Mandalay power plant, cooling tower if new plant approved
NRG Energy’s Mandalay Generating Station along Oxnard’s shores would be replaced if state officials approve the project.
NRG Energy updated the application for its new peaker power plant in Oxnard on Nov. 19.
In an updated filing with the California Public Utilities Commission, NRG said it would demolish the current power plant and a cooling tower on the site if the new Puente Power Project is approved by the commission.
Dave Knox, a spokesman for NRG Energy, said previously the application did not require the demolition of the existing Mandalay Generating Station.
Knox said NRG updated the application because Oxnard residents want the tower demolished if the plan is approved. The project still faces fierce opposition in Oxnard.
The plant on Mandalay Beach was built in 1959 and is currently used as a peaking capacity plant, which only operates when the grid needs additional power to serve residents throughout the region. The existing plant is cooled with sea water and needs to be replaced by the end of 2020 because of new environmental regulations.
A new plant built at the same site would be a natural gas fired plant that works much like a jet engine, but is powered up much quicker than the existing plant.
The existing plant would be decommissioned by June of 2021. Asbestos removal and demolition of the existing plant would take about 15 months and be complete by late 2022.
If the project is approved a 188-foot-tall tower would still be built, which is just 12 feet shorter than the current tower on the site. Between 48 and 90 people would work on the project during construction.
At a meeting in September, the commission heard from residents who support and oppose the plant. The commission said at the time a decision about the plant’s location would be made in about a year.
• Contact Philip Joens at [email protected].
