New AES power plant’s construction and commissioning are complete, utility says

AES’ new Huntington Beach power plant has completed construction and commissioning phases as the utility gets ready to retire one of the two old steam generating units still in operation.

In an update published this week on its website, AES said performance testing — the last step before the new plant goes into operation — has begun. That is expected to take two to three weeks, AES said.

The company said “minor construction work and fine-tuning” may continue until the plant begins operating its generators in early 2020.

The new plant, on which construction began in June 2017, is replacing the 1950s-era plant at 21730 Newland St. with a modernized one that will use air instead of sea water for cooling, among other updates.

“Our greatest accomplishment, for both the community and our company, is that we have been able to safely complete construction three months ahead of schedule,” AES said.

One of the existing plant’s two operating units is scheduled to be retired Tuesday, AES said. Two others are already out of commission.

The last operating unit is slated to be retired at the end of 2020.

In November, the California Public Utilities Commission recommended extending the unit’s operating life for up to three years to ensure that the power grid is adequately supplied during a statewide transition to having 100% of power come from clean energy sources such as wind, solar and hydropower by 2045.

The California State Water Resources Control Board will review the PUC recommendation early next year to decide whether to allow the extension.

Work toward demolishing the old AES units is expected to begin in 2020, the company said.

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