Oxnard planning officials have rejected Southern California Edison's plan to build a power plant by the ocean, saying the project is not consistent with coastal zoning policies.

According to a staff report, officials are recommending that the city's Planning Commission reject Edison's 45-megawatt plant when it meets Thursday.

Edison is under a state mandate to build five such plants in Southern California to avoid projected energy shortages.

Plans call for building the so-called "peaker" plant on company property, just south of Reliant's 430-megawatt plant at Mandalay Beach.

The parcel is zoned "coastal-dependent development," defined as "any development or use which requires a site on, or adjacent to, the sea to be able to function at all," a staff report says.

"The project doesn't meet that definition," Matthew Winegar, Oxnard's development services director, said Monday.

Edison officials disagree.

The company has never insisted that the plant's operation is dependent on a coastal location, Mark Nelson, Edison's director of generation, planning and strategy, said Monday.

Nelson noted that the city's land-use regulations allow energy-related facilities, such as electrical generation stations.

"We see this as in the existing zoning," Nelson said. "We believe that using it on behalf of the ratepayers for a reliability project like a peaker is the best use of the land."

There is strong opposition to Edison's proposal in coastal neighborhoods, where leaders applauded the Planning Division's recommendation.

"We're happy with the city," said Larry McGrath, chairman of the Oxnard Shores Neighborhood Council and president of the Mandalay Shores Homeowners Association.

An initial environmental study found that the plant didn't pose any problems. But that didn't convince residents in Oxnard Shores, who believed it would foul air, spoil ocean views and produce unwanted noise and truck traffic, McGrath said.

Residents also believe that Oxnard has shouldered more than its fair share of industrial facilities with regional benefits, such as several landfills and two major power plants, McGrath said.

State and federal wildlife regulators also are skeptical. They worry the power plant would threaten endangered birds that nest in nearby coastal dunes.

Last August, the state Public Utilities Commission ordered Edison to build the plants, which would operate when the grid is strained. Peaker plants usually operate during summer months in hot, late-afternoon hours.

Edison officials tout peaker plants for the quick startup time — 10 minutes as opposed to six hours for larger facilities — which is a plus when power disruptions occur during earthquakes or wildfires.

The company has argued that the 16.1-acre Oxnard parcel is a perfect strategic location for the 70,000-square-foot plant. The $50 million, natural gas-powered facility would supply enough energy to power 29,250 homes.

Construction is expected to take three to four months from a largely premanufactured kit.

Others are under construction in Stanton, Norwalk, Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario. They're expected to open by an Aug. 1 deadline, Nelson said. Language in the PUC mandate might give the company until Dec. 31 for the Oxnard plant, Nelson said.

If commission members reject the project Thursday, Edison can appeal to the City Council. It's unclear whether Edison plans to go that route, Nelson said. "I would certainly be disappointed."