Alamitos Energy Center
| 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 / 33.76917°N 118.10194°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 | AES Corporation |
| Operator | 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] |
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.
Description
[edit]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
[edit]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,[2] and was complete in early 2021.[10][11][12]
Decommissioning Units 1-6
[edit]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]
The water quality in the Alamitos Bay could be degraded by the decommissioning of the Alamitos Energy Center pumps. The City of Long Beach is assessing a replacement for these pumps to maintain the bay's water circulation.[13]
Battery Storage Project
[edit]A battery facility with a capacity of 400 megawatt-hours was completed in 2021.[14]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "AES Alamitos - The Power of Positive Energy (December 23, 2019)". www.renewaesalamitos.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ a b c "ALAMITOS ENERGY CENTER" (PDF). AES California. 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "More environment-friendly power generators go online in Huntington Beach". Orange County Register. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ a b "AES Alamitos, LLC". rtk.rjifuture.org. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ a b c "Alamitos Energy Center, Licensing Case - Docket # 2013-AFC-01". ww2.energy.ca.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "Electricity Data Browser - AES Alamitos LLC". www.eia.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-02.
- ^ a b "ALAMITOS BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE PROJECT" (PDF). AES California. 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "Facilities: Alamitos | AES California". www.aescalifornia.com. Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "Alamitos Energy Center, Long Beach, California, USA". Retrieved 2020-02-16.
- ^ "AES commissions Alamitos energy storage facility in California, US". NS Energy. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 5 February 2021.
- ^ "Alamitos Battery Energy Storage Project" (PDF).
- ^ Colthorpe, Andy (7 June 2021). "Battery storage as peaking capacity: How Alamitos changed the game for California". Energy Storage News.
- ^ Maschke, Alena. "Alamitos Bay's water quality at risk once again, unless the city spends millions to fix it • Long Beach Post News". lbpost.com.
- ^ Saltzgaver, Harry (15 February 2021). "Giant Long Beach AES battery storage facility in full operation". Press Telegram.
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