IT’S RIGHT NEXT DOOR
AES switches on California battery project, one of biggest in world
by Ruth Osborn
rutho_news@lwsb.com
The AES Alamitos Energy Center, an electricity generation station next door to Leisure World on Studebaker Road, has just completed construction of a new battery energy storage system (BESS). This completes a years-long overhaul that includes two new gas-fired, air-cooled power plants.
The facility will replace the old Alamitos Generating Station, which has produced electricity since 1956. AES is located adjacent to the LA Department of Water and Power Haynes Steam Plant.
AES’ battery storage project is one of the largest in the world, according to company officials. BESS is a 45,000-squarefoot battery facility that will produce 400 megawatt-hours when fully charged, meaning it can produce 100 megawatts for four hours. The facility can start or stop electricity flow or recharge almost instantly, said Mark Miller, AES market business director for California.
More than 1 million lithium-ion battery units linked in the building take in electricity during low-demand times of the day, then put the electricity back into the regional grid when demand is high, such as in the evening and during hot summer afternoons.
With the growing availability of renewable energy sources, primarily solar and wind, there is more demand for electricity storage. The battery facility can store solar energy during the day for use at night, when solar isn’t available.
Construction of the Alamitos BESS began in late June 2019 and opened on schedule, with electricity being stored beginning Jan. 1. The battery plant is operated by a small crew, as few as two people. Lithium-ion components, just like commercial rechargeable batteries, become less efficient over time and will be gradually replaced as they age The Alamitos Energy Center is the modernization of the AES Generating Station and includes the Alamitos BESS as
AES, page 23 well as a new gas-fired combined cycle gas turbines (CCGT), which began construction in 2017 and finished last year.
LW residents are familiar with the loud hissing and steam plumes that periodically erupted from AES in late 2019 as part of the commissioning of the new CCGT units.
This commissioning a new plant entails testing to ensure it meets design specifications and can operate safely and effectively. This includes the first fire of the gas turbines, the first times the units are turned on; steam blows; a steam purity run; and the initial steam turbine run before the final performance testing of the entire plant.
Steam blows are an important part of the commissioning phase due to their effectiveness in removing construction debris from newly installed steam systems, among other functions.
During a steam blow, steam is released from the steam tube system and vented to the atmosphere, creating the billowing plumes that were seen in LW.
A high-pressure steam release also creates a loud hissing sound. AES routinely sent company representatives to LW to explain the process as it unfolded from 2017 to the present.
Sound levels never violated the Seal Beach noise ordinance, and the steam blows were temporary and are not a part of normal operations.
Three of the six older units were retired in 2019, and the remaining three were scheduled to retire in 2020. However, in 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission passed a regulation saying the three remaining old water-cooled generators had to continue operation until 2023 as a backup for electrical supply.
Once that requirement is removed, AES plans to demolish the old generators and their tall exhaust towers that are visible on the LW skyline, especially from Clubhouse 2.
Compared to the old steam generators, the new plants improve efficiency and reduce emission rates; increase operating flexibility, enabling the integration of renewable energy; eliminate the use of ocean water for cooling; and reduce the use of fresh water by about 70 percent.
