California’s power plant siting agency gave unanimous approvalWednesday to Duke Energy’s plans to build new facilities at itsexisting Moss Landing generating plant along the central Californiacoast, adding 1,200-MW capacity while eliminating eight 225-footsmoke stakes and 10 oil storage tanks for the existing plant sitedeveloped in the early 1950s. After a 22-month approval process,Duke officials said earlier in the week they will beginconstruction Monday, assuming they receive a final local waterpermit as expected on Friday.

The $500 million project includes dismantling the smokestacks,tanks and five generation units that have been mothballed,replacing them with two newer, more efficient natural gas-firedcombined-cycle units. The existing units generating about 1,500-MWalso will be upgraded.

In a separate action on Monday, Duke re-filed its revised plansfor its Morro Bay plant about 80 miles south of Moss. That proposalnow calls for total tearing down of the existing generation units,including smokestacks and storage tanks and replacement with newunits.

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