Local Power Plant Facing Final Years?
KCOY 12
10/20/2008
MORRO BAY -- The plug may soon be pulled on the Morro Bay Power Plant.
The owner, Dynegy, recently sent a letter to city officials explaining the facility is likely facing its final years.
"There's been some rulings on this once through cooling power plant system," said Mayor Janice Peters. "Whether it will be allowed to continue to operate in the future is questionable."
By 2015, many speculate the cooling process used at the power plant will be banned. It involves sucking in water from the bay, then pumping hot water back out.
Local environmentalists say it's a step in the right direction.
"Stop killing our fish and stop pumping our water in here and then hot water out the other side," said David Nelson, co-founder of the Coastal Alliance on Plant Expansion. "You know, it's not good for the environment and it's so proven."
On Monday, Dynegy issued the following statement:
"The California State Water Resources Control Board has drafted regulations for power plants on the issue of once-through cooling for plant processes. It's important to point out that these draft regulations are still in the proposal stage. In the meantime, we remain committed to operating Morro Bay in a safe, reliable and environmentally responsible manner."
City officials say if the plant was shut down they'd lose some dollars, but since it is now only used during peak demand periods, the loss wouldn't be as severe as it was when the plant stopped running full-time.
Until a decision is made, city officials have set their sights on other possibilities for this prime piece of real estate.
"I think an aquarium would be a wonderful thing to draw people here," said Peters.
