Encina Power Station

EPS sits on the southern shore of the outer segment of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon; once a stinking pool at low tide, it was opened to a continuous tidal flow to create a cooling system that was constructed along with the plant. Now home to blue herons, ibises, and a multitude of aquatic life, the lagoon is attached to the ocean and other waterways through rising tide levels and various small creeks. The lagoon served as EPS' source for its once-through cooling and is also owned by NRG Energy.

In 2015, Connecticut-based Poseidon Resources Corp. constructed a US$300 million water-desalination plant at the site, adjacent to the power plant.[2] The facility was designed to produce 50,000,000 US gallons (190,000 m³) of drinking water per day, enough to supply about 100,000 homes.[3]

NRG had announced plans to expand the Encina Power Station with the construction of a new 588-megawatt plant on a plot of land adjacent to the current site.[4] This has been met with considerable political opposition by local homeowners and environmentalists.[5] The City of Carlsbad issued an injunction against the construction of a new plant, but as of the summer of 2010 plans for the new plant were still moving forward.[6]

The closing of San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS)[7][8] about 30 miles north[9] led to city officials approving the new state-of-the-art power plant in January 2014.[10][11] As of May 2014, a gas-fired facility will sit adjacent to the Encina Power Station and eventually replace the 400-ft smokestack.[12] In May 2015, plans to modify the plant to a natural gas facility were approved by the Public Utilities Commission; construction is planned to begin in 2016.[13] On December 11, 2018, the plant ceased power generating operations. [14] It was replaced by a 530 megawatt peaker plant known as the Carlsbad Energy Center.[14]