Hello Everyone,
Did you know that the AES power
plant in Redondo only operated at 5.9% of capacity in all of 2005?
That's for the two largest units on the very south end of the plant, behind
the whaling wall. The 2 smaller units only operated at 1.3% of capacity,
and the 4 units on the north end of the plant have been shut down for
almost 20 years.
And AES Redondo does not
supply electricity directly to the South Bay. It is routed to 'the
grid', where the Independent System Operator is responsible for distributing
power from all the plants in the western United States. If we were
dependant on AES Redondo for power, you would have been without power the many
months it didn't even operate in 2005.
This link shows how much
electric generating power has been retired in California since 2001, and
how much has been added. As you can see, it's not some crazy idea
that this old plant should be retired, and the transmission towers
which cover 50 acres in Redondo are removed, or that much more
capacity has been added than lost in California since the crisis of
2000.
I learned of the above
figures for AES by taking a day off of work and visiting the Department
of Toxic Substance Control in Glendale, and the Regional Water Quality Control
Board in downtown Los Angeles. Both agencies maintain permits and
reports related to AES, or any facility for that matter that discharges to the
ocean and has polluted the groundwater (AES did not pollute the aquifers
directly beneath their plant, Edison Intl. did. AES assumed some of
the responsibility though, when they bought the plant in 1998).
I don't mean to criticize AES for
wanting to generate power and earn a return for it's shareholders - I used to
own stock in this company and like everyone else, I depend on operations like
theirs to power my home. Plus, they have state of the art air
pollution control on their emissions. But this particular plant has
served it's purpose, and is now surrounded by 10-12,000 residents per square
mile who want to use this site for a badly needed waterfront park. This
was clearly communicated by the public when they voted for this vision in
March 2005 - in spite of a ridiculous and biased price tag placed on
it to scare voters away. Now we must find a way to incentivize AES
to sell to the public by working out a financial arrangement that makes sense
for everyone, including not just the local residents and AES, but the State as
well.
Part of our mission at the South
Bay Parkland Conservancy is to educate the public about this site. So,
as you talk to your neighbors, please pass on the above info., or pass on this
email and encourage them to get on our list. The
more people understand about this very complex issue, the more they will be
encouraged to work to restore this site for public use, and not more
condos and hotels.
Thanks for taking the time to read
this! Your continued interest and support are what will make this effort
successful.
Bill
Brand
President
South Bay Parkland
Conservancy
PO Box
7000-408
Redondo Beach, CA
90277
310-809-4405