Council 'Kills' AES Subcommittee

The Redondo Beach City Council will not be forming a subcommittee to examine AES' plans to repower its power plant on Harbor Drive, councilmen decided at Tuesday night's meeting.

"I don't like the idea of a subcommittee," said Councilman Steven Diels.

Due to Brown Act regulations surrounding open meetings, only two members of the Council can serve on a subcommittee. When the idea of a subcommittee was first considered in October, three councilmen—Matt Kilroy, Pat Aust and Bill Brand—wanted to be on the committee.

That discussion, which grew heated, was tabled until the council heard a presentation from AES officials about repowering the plant, but after hearing the presentation, the council decided that it was an issue best examined by all members.

Also on Thursday, Brand recommended that the council have a workshop with the California Energy Commission and the California Independent System Operators, the two governing bodies that oversee the state's power grid.

The rest of the council agreed, unanimously passing a motion to invite the agencies to speak sometime in late January.

Plans to repower AES Redondo Beach have been at the center of a debate between AES officials and a group of residents. AES wants to build a new plant they say will be smaller and more efficient at the site of current plant; the No Power Plant group says they want the plant torn down and replaced with a large park and some commercial use.

The old plant must be decommissioned by 2020 due to its use of once-through cooling, which was banned by the state of California.