City Council Approves Turning Ormond Beach Power Plant Into Lithium Battery Storage Facility

OXNARD, Calif. (KEYT) — It was an hours long meeting that went past midnight, with over 40 people expressing their opinions about the controversial Ormond Beach Power Plant.
 
 “This power plant has polluted our air, has blocked the community from the beach. And now they want to secure another project because they know that they are going to have to shut down,” said CAUSE Policy Director Lucia Marquez.

The power plant was originally scheduled to shut down in 2020.
 
But the lease was extended to 2023 — and then again to 2026 because of concerns about power grid stability.
 
This city council vote could potentially extend the power plant’s life beyond its 2026 closure, though the state has the ultimate say.
 
If the state does approve a lease extension, Genon is prepared to invest $45 million dollars in South Oxnard to create a non-profit legal aid organization that would help low income residents
  
Local environmentalists are against the deal, saying there's another path forward.
 
“Renegotiate this contract. Let's talk about community benefits without an extension of the power plant so that we can still see investment in our community without seeing continued exploitation of South Oxnard residents who have suffered the damages from this power plant for decades and decades,” said Lucia Marquez.
  
But the Genon CEO says there has already been a lot of community engagement surrounding these discussions and he’s happy to create further dialogue saying, “I've offered several times to the CAUSE group that I would happily sit down and meet with them and talk through this.”
 
If Genon gets an extension approved by the state next year, it would operate for at least another 3 years until 2029.