Community Corner

Top 10 Stories: AES Redondo Beach

Redondo Beach Patch is counting down its 10 biggest local stories from 2012. No. 3: AES Redondo Beach finds itself in the spotlight.

It's been a crazy year. Redondo Beach Patch writers were busy writing about homicides, television episodes and dancing firefighters, among other topics. Here is the No. 3 story of the year, chosen by popularity and editorial discretion.

AES Redondo Beach Finds Itself in the Spotlight (No. 3)

Though the story may not have brought the most visitors to Redondo Beach Patch, the ongoing saga over the future of AES Redondo Beach was at the forefront of many residents' minds throughout 2012.

Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

After months of delays, AES Southland filed its application to repower the plant with the California Energy Commission in November. At the end of December, the CEC staff recommended that the commission find the report not "data adequate," or incomplete in some areas.

While AES worked on its application, members of the NoPowerPlant.com political action committee got to work drafting a power plant phase-out initiative and collecting the required number of signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

Find out what's happening in Redondo Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

If it passes, Measure A will rezone the property on North Harbor Drive in South Redondo Beach to a mixture of up to 40 percent commercial and institutional uses. The rest of the land would be designated parkland and open space.

The current power plant must be retrofitted, rebuilt or retired by 2020 due to state regulations banning the use of once-through cooling, where ocean water is used to cool the superheated steam that spins the turbines of a natural gas plant. AES has chosen to rebuild the plant.

For the latest stories and blog posts about the power plant, visit our AES Redondo Beach topic page. It's always accessible in the "News" drop down box in the menu above.

To view this year's other top stories, click here.


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