Council to Host Power Plant Workshop

The Redondo Beach City Council will hear Tuesday night from state agencies and organizations who will be involved with the review of AES Southland's future proposal on the repowering of its .

Representatives from the California Energy Commission (CEC), the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCQMD), the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and Southern California Edison will discuss the roles their organizations will play when AES decides to apply for a new power generation license.

Right now, the current AES Redondo Beach plant uses ocean water to cool the superheated steam that turns the turbines, generating electricity; however, new state regulations against once-through cooling mandate the plant be retired by 2020.

Proponents of AES' plan argue that the new plant—which, like the current one, will run on natural gas—will be smaller, run cleaner and provide a backup source of electricity when it can't be produced through "greener" methods, such as using solar or wind energy.

Opponents, however, say the new plant will run more often, spew more unhealthy particulate matter and continue to depress property values in the area.

Local groups Building a Better Redondo and No Power Plant are preparing a voter initiative that, if passed, will rezone the AES property for a large park with up to 40 percent commercial use.

So far, the City Council as a whole has not taken a position on AES' plans to repower—or rebuild—the plant. After the conclusion of the presentations on Tuesday night, City Attorney Mike Webb will present a report on whether the city can legally advocate for or against a new power plant.

Once Webb's presentation is over, Mayor Mike Gin and the Council will discuss the next step in the process and provide direction to city staff.

Tuesday's City Council meeting is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 415 Diamond St. in South Redondo Beach.