Morro Bay Power Plant
The stacks of the “Three Stacks and a Rock” nickname for Morro Bay are the 450-foot concrete smokestacks soaring above an energy production plant built by Pacific Gas and Electric starting in 1953. Located on the coast, the company could use the Pacific ocean to dump the excess heat generated at the site. Local geography facilitated running power lines as far as the central valley. Local surfers paddled out knowing where the plant’s outflow would warm up the waves. Fishermen still use them as a lighthouse beacon to guide them home from sea. In 2014, the costs of bringing the plant into compliance with state and federal law and Environmental Protection Agency policies led to the plant’s closure. A recent agreement between the city and current property owner will result in the demolition of the plant and smokestacks by the end of 2027.
Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo
Photographer: Andrew Schmidt