Huntington Beach seeks to beautify power plant

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Faced with the possible expansion of the unsightly

AES Corp. power plant on Pacific Coast Highway, city officials say they

plan to pursue regulatory or legal options to make the utility company

beautify its facility.

AES Corp. is hoping to expand its energy production capabilities next

year.

Councilman Ralph Bauer prompted the evaluation of the project, saying

the plant’s unattractive appearance is a detriment to residents.

“I’ve lived here 36 years, and I’ve had to stare at that plant the

whole time,” Bauer said, adding that residents not only must put up with

the foreboding look of the plant, but also the chemicals it spews into

the air. “Now [AES officials] want to expand the plant, and I feel that

something needs to be done.”

Other industrial entities, such as the Boeing Co., have improved the

landscape and done other things to beautify their property, and AES

should too, he added.

About two weeks ago, the city met with AES officials to discuss the

utility company’s future plans. Officials with the company said they have

also met with the Southeast Homeowners Assn. to discuss community

concerns.

“We don’t really see it as an expansion per se, but as an effort to

bring the plant up to its past performance,” said Ed Blackford, president

of AES Huntington Beach, which controls the plant at 21730 Newland St.

“Based on the state’s power shortages last summer, we are trying to bring

two existing [power-producing] units online for next year.”

The AES Corp. bought the power plant, which produces energy by using

steam from burning fossil fuels to turn turbines, from the Edison Co. in

1998, about three years after two of the five boilers were shut down,

officials said.

The plant can now generate up to 563 megawatts of energy with three

sets of boilers and generators, although one is used intermittently. The

electricity is transmitted into the Southern California Edison energy

grid to serve all southern portions of the state.

When the two boilers -- called Units 3 and 4 -- are back in service,

which is expected to be by June, AES Corp. would increase production by

about 450 megawatts, with one megawatt generating enough energy to power

1,000 homes.

Bauer said the city and the plant need to be good neighbors, and with

the failure of Measure Q, which would have required the utility company

to pay a vendor tax charged to all private businesses, property tax is

the only revenue the plant generates for the city. Even that may be

reduced in the future if the plant petitions state officials for a lower

land value assessment.

Blackford disagreed, adding that the new units would increase the

value of the plant and could generate more in property taxes.

City officials say they are unsure how soon a report on the plant and

the city’s options can be ready.