Redondo Beach’s AES can help set green standard

California wants to set the standard for renewable energy and eliminate using ocean water to cool power plants. Not only can Redondo Beach help achieve these goals, it can reap significant benefits while doing so.

As we strive to achieve the state’s 2020 mandate of producing 33 percent of our energy using renewable sources, the need for clean, low cost natural gas to bring stability to California’s energy supply will increase. By harnessing the power of natural gas in a modern new power plant in Redondo Beach, AES will help provide the means for our community to enjoy cleaner air and a more reliable and sustainable electricity supply.

Bringing benefits to all

AES would like to replace the Redondo Beach plant, making it quieter, smaller and more efficient. The new state-of-the-art plant would meet or exceed all new state and EPA requirements, enhance the environment, and create jobs and increased revenue for Redondo Beach.

It would also be about half as tall and take up less than 40 percent of the space of the existing facility. This would dramatically reduce the visual impact and leave more than 30 acres of waterfront land free for other creative uses to benefit the community.

Additionally, the direct financial benefits to Redondo Beach, which are already substantial, would increase significantly, especially when adding the potential uses for the property no longer needed for the plant.

When the renewable energy supply falls short, something must bridge the gap

The new standard for renewable energy will require wind and solar to take a more central role in electricity production.

Yet when the sun goes down or the wind stops blowing, we need a clean alternative to fill in quickly. Power produced from natural gas bridges that gap.

The reason this is important is because power cannot be stored in any meaningful way. So to enjoy electricity 24/7, we must produce it 24/7. Our electricity supply must always match our demand.

This requires modern plants that can adjust the amount of electricity they are producing at any point in time and be turned on and off quickly.

The new plant we are proposing would turn on in minutes as opposed to days and be able to adjust the amount of electricity it is producing about 40 times faster than the existing plant.

Natural gas-fired electricity is clean

We use natural gas in our homes because it is clean and inexpensive, releasing virtually no ash or particulate matter. The same principles make it an ideal fuel for power plants.

By using clean burning natural gas and pursuing a new plant that would be at least 30 percent more efficient than the existing plant, we would be helping to protect our environment. Better efficiency and clean fuel means less pollution for the entire Los Angeles Basin, something that benefits everyone.

In fact, emissions from natural gas-fired power plants are not the problem when it comes to air quality. The more than 40 power plants in the South Coast Air Basin are responsible for less than one percent of all the air pollution in the area.

We could eliminate all of these plants and see no real change in air quality. Transportation is the primary source of our air pollution and this should be our target for improving the air we breathe.

Keeping our options open

I am not going to claim that I know today that a new power plant will be needed in Redondo Beach 10 years from now. But it is dangerous to assume it won’t be. We can’t develop, permit and build a new power plant quickly enough if the assumption that we don’t need a new plant proves to be wrong.

Assessing what will be needed to ensure a reliable supply of electricity in the future is extremely complicated and subject to numerous assumptions that can change quickly.

Will the energy efficiency gains we assume actually materialize? Will the economy rebound more quickly or to a higher level than we expect? How many new solar and wind facilities will actually get built? What existing plants will retire and when? What is the future of California’s nuclear plants?

As just one example of how quickly things can change, there is a risk that San Onofre’s two nuclear units may be out of service this summer, leading to concerns about blackouts. Is it wise to forego an option for a new power plant when California’s electricity supply is so vulnerable that having two units out for the summer creates a risk of blackouts?

We actually have no guarantee that San Onofre will be there forever or that it won’t experience future problems. Many people want the nuclear plants shut down and its license to operate expires in 2022. Shouldn’t we strive to be better prepared for the possibility it won’t be relicensed?

I think so. Electricity helps drive our economy. It is vital to our quality of life. Maintaining our options by pursuing a permit that would give us the ability to build a new plant if it is needed in the future is the right thing to do. That is why we are willing to invest millions of dollars over the next few years in the permitting process.

The review process has yet to begin and will continue for nearly half a decade

AES is in the process of preparing its plans for the proposed plant. Once the details have been determined, they will be included in an application to the California Energy Commission (CEC) who is the entity responsible for permitting new power plants.

The term “application” may sound straightforward but the application is actually a very detailed environmental assessment. It will be hundreds of pages in length, addressing 19 different areas of concern. These areas include air and water quality, visual and noise assessments, expected plant operations, construction and traffic impacts and socio-economic benefits to name a few. It will include every detail one could be interested in.

After the application is submitted, a lengthy and rigorous public review and permitting process will begin. City leaders, as well as local residents, will have ample opportunity to study the facts and weigh in on what’s best for Redondo Beach.

It will take a long time. The plant now under construction in El Segundo took 10 years to make its way through the process and a proposed plant in Carlsbad just received its recommendation for approval from the CEC after nearly five years.

We want to work together

For many years there have been battles about how to improve the waterfront. These battles have done little more than stall progress and cost money.

AES wants to work together with the City of Redondo Beach and the community to move forward with a win-win-win solution. We get a sustainable business plan and modernized facility to help power the future. The community gets reliable electricity, dramatically improved views and new beneficial uses for more than 30 acres of property and the City of Redondo Beach gets more revenue and avoids costly opposition campaigns.

This is our vision for making real progress toward beautifying the waterfront area and turning it into something we can all be proud of.