Oxnard city officials will square off against Southern California Edison at a Coastal Commission hearing Thursday in Marina del Rey over whether the utility that serves 13 million people can build a small power plant at Mandalay Beach.

The Oxnard City Council last summer denied Edison's plans to build a $50 million, natural-gas fired, 45-megawatt peaker plant on a parcel south of Reliant Energy's 430-megawatt plant off Harbor Boulevard.

The rationale for the denial was that the plant did not conform to Oxnard's Coastal Plan, which requires development along the coast to be "ocean-dependent." Edison appealed the decision to the state Coastal Commission.

The staff of the commission recently sided with the electric company, saying the city's rules don't prohibit the plant and that it would help the state meet demands for power during peak usage periods.

Both sides are sending contingents to the Coastal Commission meeting. The council also approved sending a letter to the commission asking it to uphold the denial.

Oxnard city Planner Chris Williamson, who was involved in the review of the plant proposal, said the issue comes down to whether the commission holds to a strict interpretation of the city zoning ordinance or considers the overall intent of the rules.

The City Council made the policy, so it also should know its intent, Williamson said.

But Edison officials, as well as a contingent from the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, say the plant is needed to meet the growing demand for power in the state.

In fact, it's one of five peaker plants Edison proposed after the California Public Utilities Commission issued a directive in 2006 urging state power companies to bring new electricity capacity on line. The four other plants — in Stanton, Norwalk, Rancho Cucamonga and Ontario — have been built.

Peaker plants can start producing power within 10 minutes of starting up — compared with six hours for a conventional facility — and bridge gaps in the electrical supply during natural disasters or high demand periods.

Other peaker plants have sprouted up and down the state. One in Davis was completed in 88 days, according to state officials. Across California, there are now 15 peaker plants up and running. Another eight are being built, and five are approved for construction, according to the California Energy Commission. All were built in response to the blackouts of 2005.

"The Oxnard peaker plant would operate primarily during periods of high electricity demand, such as on hot days when the demand for air conditioning is at a peak, when high-voltage transmission lines go out of service or when another source of generation unexpectedly goes off line," Edison officials said in a statement Tuesday.

Nancy Lindholm, president and CEO of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce, said her board still supports construction of the plant.

"Reliable sources of energy are always a top concern for our members," Lindholm said. "The fact that this will be tied to the local grid is quite a plus, especially during high peak times or natural disaster."

While not specifically opposed to the idea of a peaker plant, local environmentalists oppose the Oxnard project on several grounds, said Alan Sanders, conservation chairman of the Los Padres chapter of the Sierra Club.

Industrial development, specifically the noncoastal dependent type, should not be allowed in the coastal zone, Sanders said. Sanders also doubted the peaker plant would help meet demand in Ventura County, which already has two power plants. He said it's more about Edison meeting demand elsewhere in Southern California.

He also cited recent reports that Southern California Edison is making a major push toward producing solar power.

"The point is that here's an alternative they could be spending their time pursuing instead of this one," he said. "And solar production is at its peak during those high demand periods in the summer."

The Coastal Commission will meet at 9 a.m. Thursday at the Marina del Rey Hotel, 13534 Bali Way.

On the Net:

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/mtgcurr.html