San Diego Coastkeeper
Law & Policy Clinic Campaigns
Power Plant
Coastkeeper is working to force Duke Energy to repower its antiquated South Bay Power Plant (SBPP) to technology that will dramatically improve local water and air quality. The SBPP has operated on San Diego Bay for over 40 years, using outdated once-through cooling technology that effectively sterilizes up to 601 million gallons of San Diego Bay daily.
On November 10, 2004, Coastkeeper and a coalition of environmental organizations known as the San Diego Bay Council celebrated the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board's decision to adopt a renewed permit for the SBPP. The renewed permit sets more stringent discharge limits for copper, more effectively regulates thermal discharges from the plant, begins to address strategies to reduce the impact of impingement and entrainment on fish populations, and requires a more complete monitoring program for the facility.
The permit as adopted after a three-year battle represents a compromise between environmental concerns, community needs, state energy policy, and protecting business interests. Unfortunately, Duke has chosen to appeal the permit to the State Water Board, rather than putting its resources into complying with the adopted permit. In order to balance the appeal process, Coastkeeper and other groups have also submitted a petition to the State Board, and will continue to fight to enhance bay protection.
Beyond this short-term activity, Coastkeeper is also demanding that regulatory agencies require the facility to be upgraded to dry-cooling technology that can generate the same amount of electricity while using significantly less natural gas, emitting less air pollution, and avoiding the use of bay water completely. Coastkeeper seeks to foster a plan to upgrade (or relocate) the South Bay Power Plant so that it no longer impacts the health of San Diego Bay, with a long-term goal of enhancing habitat and recolonization of San Diego Bay. If successful, Coastkeeper will set an important precedent for similar battles going on in Morro Bay and Moss Landing (which both have antiquated Duke-operated power plants).