At the Morro Bay City Council meeting this week , the council voted 4-1 to notify Vistra Corporation that the City of Morro Bay will not exercise the option to retain the famous stacks, and directed city staff to initiate discussions with Vistra for an appropriate memorial to the stacks and the power plant. Two council members said all the feedback from residents agree that the stacks should come down. Now the incentive for both the city and Vistra is to remove the structures. Vistra now has until December 2027 to remove the stacks or pay the city $3 million. Vistra is responsible for the demolition of the turbine building as well as the stacks.
History of the Morro Bay Stacks
•The stacks were necessary for the operation of the power plant to vent exhaust flow above
ground level and were constructed contemporaneously with the plant.
•The first stack was constructed between the years 1953 – 1955. The stack is formed
concrete with a brick liner and served units 1 and 2.
•The second and third stacks serving units 3 and 4 separately were constructed in the early
1960’s to serve the new power units and became operational in 1962. These stacks are also
concrete and have steel liners, an advancement in technology from the original
.•All three stacks currently serve no use other than for support of PG&E communications equipment installed at the top of stack 3. This equipment will need to be relocated if the stacks are demolished.
•The lighting on the stacks is required by the Federal Aviation Administration including the
number, type, color and flashing frequency to protect aircraft from a possible collision with
the stacks