One of the world’s leading independent power plantdeveloper/operators, Arlington, VA-based AES Corp., announced thisweek that it will try to re-power two old units among its coastalmix of California power plants under the state’s newly createdfast-track power plant siting process. The goal is to have an added450 MW of baseload capacity available next summer.

Some local state elected representatives and AES are holding upthe proposal as a litmus test for California’s resolve to quicklyadd new generating capacity in the state.

An official with the California Energy Commission, the agencythat must okay any power plant 50 MW or bigger, indicated the stateofficials have met informally with AES to discuss its plans for theHuntington Beach Power Plant, which is one of four the AES boughtfrom Southern California Edison Co. in 1998 under the Californiaelectric industry restructuring law. (Units now operating produceabout 533 MW.)

AES plans to file by Nov. 15 with the state commission, seekingapprovals by the end of March to re-tool the mothballed units,which the company thinks would give them time to get the addedcapacity online for the summer peak-demand season. State electedofficials from the local area surrounding the plant, which includesexpensive waterfront residential neighborhoods, support theproposal, but the company expects some negative response from localproperty owner and environmental organizations.

“We propose to bring the existing hardware and technology out ofmothballs, doing maintenance and then putting on catalyticconverters,” said Mark Woodruff, an AES official in SouthernCalifornia. “It is technically feasible; it is just a matter ofgetting the regulatory approvals. Essentially, we are not puttinganything on the site that hasn’t been there for years and years. Itis just rehabilitating what is already there and adding theenvironmental controls.”

Woodruff said AES has looked at adding new units at the site, asit is proposing to do at another existing coastal power plant siteto the north at Redondo Beach, but that would take several yearsfor permitting and getting the new equipment. “We felt this(re-powering) was something that could done that was immediate andnear-term, which obviously is very relevant (in the wake of thecall for more new generation capacity in the state),” he said. “Wefeel it is a no-brainer.”

He acknowledged that even with the state’s new interest inaccelerating power plant siting approvals, AES’s re-powering of thetwo Huntington Beach units would still require an “ultra-fasttrack.”

In Redondo, AES has committed to redevelop the northern half ofthe property over a number of years and add new capacity in thesouthern half, so they have a smaller footprint, but end up withincreased capacity that is more environmentally sensitive.”Essentially the deal is to consolidate the plant’s footprint anduse the excess land for other things that are more compatible withthe surrounding area,” Woodruff said. “We’d add units after weclosed down the older ones.”

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