Alamitos Energy Center

The Alamitos Energy Center (AEC), formerly AES Alamitos, is a natural gas-fired power station located in Long Beach, California. It is the second largest power station in California.

Alamitos Energy Center
Units 1-4 as seen from San Gabriel River Bike Trail in March 2017.
Official name	Alamitos Energy Center
Country	United States
Location	Long Beach, California
Coordinates	33°46′09″N 118°06′07″W
Status	Operational
Construction began	Units 1-6: Late 1950s Block 1: July 2017 [1] Block 2: Late 2020 (planned) [2] BESS: June 2019 [1]
Commission date	Units 1-6: Late 1950s Block 1: February 7, 2020 [3]
Decommission date	Units 1, 2, 6: December 31, 2019 Units 3-5: December 31, 2020 (planned) [1]
Construction cost	$ 400 Million (Modernization)[2]
Owner(s)	AES Corporation
Operator(s)	AES Corporation
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Natural gas
Cooling source	Units 3-5: Seawater Block 1: Atmosphere
Combined cycle?	Yes
Power generation
Units operational	2 x 320 MW 1 x 480 MW 1 x 640 MW
Units planned	1 x 400 MW
Units decommissioned	2 x 175 MW 1 x 480 1 x ? MW
Nameplate capacity	1,760 MW [4][5]
Annual net output	958 GWh (2018) [6]
Storage capacity	400 MWh (Early 2021) [7]

Description

Alamitos Energy Center was originally built in the 1950s by Southern California Edison and consisted of seven natural gas-fired generating units that were cooled using a seawater once-through cooling system. Units 1 and 2 generated 175 MW each, units 3 and 4 generated 320 MW each, and units 5 and 6 generate 480 MW each. Unit 7 generated an unknown amount of electricity and was decommissioned at an unknown date.[4][5][8] The AES Corporation purchased the power station from Southern California Edison in 1998.[9]

Modernization

On December 27, 2013, AES submitted an application to the California Energy Commission to modernize the existing power station. The project consists of a 640 MW combined cycle gas turbine (Block 1) and a 400 MW simple cycle gas turbine (Block 2), both of which use air-cooled condensers for cooling.[5] The project also includes the construction of a 100 MW, 400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS).[7] Construction began in June 2017.[1]

Block 1 was constructed between July 2019 and January 2020, and was commissioned on February 7, 2020. Block 2 is planned to be constructed between late 2020 and mid 2022. Construction of the battery energy storage system (BESS) began in June 2019 and is expected to be complete in early 2021.[2]

Decommissioning Units 1-6

As part of the modernization project, all six operating units and the retired Unit 7 will be demolished. Units 1, 2, and 6 were decommissioned on December 31, 2019. Units 3-5 have a retirement date of December 31, 2020. However, in late 2019, AES submitted an application to the California Energy Commission to continue to operate units 3-5 for an additional 1 to 3 years. If approved, demolition of units 3-5 will be delayed for an additional 1 to 3 years.[1]

See also

• List of power stations in California

References

1. "AES Alamitos - The Power of Positive Energy (December 23, 2019)". www.renewaesalamitos.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
2. "ALAMITOS ENERGY CENTER" (PDF). AES California. 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
3. "More environment-friendly power generators go online in Huntington Beach". Orange County Register. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
4. "AES Alamitos, LLC". rtk.rjifuture.org. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
5. "Alamitos Energy Center, Licensing Case - Docket # 2013-AFC-01". ww2.energy.ca.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
6. "Electricity Data Browser - AES Alamitos LLC". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
7. "ALAMITOS BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE PROJECT" (PDF). AES California. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
8. "Facilities: Alamitos | AES California". www.aescalifornia.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
9. "Alamitos Energy Center, Long Beach, California, USA". Retrieved 2020-02-16.