After almost 70 years on the Carlsbad coastline, demolition of the Encina Power Station, along with its 400-foot smokestack, is set to be complete within the next year.

As of the end of May, the 1970s-era smokestack was already below the skyline.

The power plant, which was constructed in 1954 and expanded to include the smokestack in 1978, served up to 1 million San Diegans at its height. The plant was retired in December 2018 following the construction of a new power plant, the Carlsbad Energy Center, on the same property.

NRG Energy, the owner of the power plant, initially planned to keep the two largest steam boiler units at the Encina Power Station up and running while building a power plant at the same location as the current Carlsbad Energy Center, NRG spokesperson Chris Rimel said in an email statement.

However, the city of Carlsbad, NRG Energy and San Diego Gas & Electric came to a separate agreement in 2014 to fully retire the old power plant and demolish it within three years of retirement.

“The City, NRG and SDG&E saw an opportunity to amend the California Energy Commission-approved license for the Carlsbad Energy Center Project by designing and building a peaking power plant to replace Encina Power Station that can quickly turn on and off to supplement renewables when the sun is not shining or the wind blowing,” Rimel said.

Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall said the goal was to repower the plant with more efficient equipment that could come online quickly.

The Encina Power Station, like the newer Carlsbad Energy Center, functioned as a peaking power plant starting in 2000, meaning it was used during periods of high demand. However, it could take up to 18 hours for the boiler units to ramp up, while the new power plant can ramp up within 10 minutes, according to the NRG website.

Hall added that the decision to remove the old power plant and smokestack stemmed from environmental concerns.

“It was part of the agreement in order to build the new facility that (NRG) would have to dismantle the old facility,” Hall said. “Obviously, because of its use, there were environmental concerns, and NRG wanted to make sure that they could mitigate those 100%.”

Demolition of the Encina Power Station is on track to be completed by the second quarter of 2022, Rimel said. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a brief pause in demolition in March 2020, but it was able to restart in June 2020, he added.

The site of the old power plant, which the city of Carlsbad has designated as tourist-serving, commercial and open space, will be reimagined with input from the Carlsbad community, Rimel said.

“Community input is essential to make sure whatever is there in the future (is) something Carlsbad can be proud of,” he said. “We know the location is a crown jewel of the community.”

As someone who can remember when the facility was first built in the early 1950s, Hall added that he believes it has served its useful life.

“Now, we’re on to a more new and modern facility and we have the opportunity now to do something really great with where the old power plant was located,” Hall said.

Julia Shapero is an Encinitas freelance writer.

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