AES In the NEWS: CJUSD & AES Power Plant Plan

Power plant worries district
Stephen Wall, Staff Writer San Bernardino County Sun
Article Launched:07/08/2007 12:00:00 AM PDT
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GRAND TERRACE - Colton school board members have expressed concerns about the construction of a 300-megawatt power plant near the city's southwest border.
The proposed plant is slated to be across the street from a new high school expected to open in about three years.
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Board members passed a resolution last month opposing plans for any new power plants near existing or proposed school sites.
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The resolution states Colton Joint Unified School District will actively participate during the public review process to make sure its safety concerns are addressed.
Operating power plants increase noise, truck traffic, air and water pollution and pose other health hazards to their surrounding areas, according to the resolution.
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"We need to protect kids first and foremost," board member Mel Albiso said. "If (the proposed plant) is going to pose any health issues for school children, I would be against it."
AES Highgrove LLC has filed an application with the California Energy Commission to construct and operate the plant at 12700 Taylor St. on the site of a former Southern California Edison plant that was deactivated in 2003.
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The proposed "peaker plant," which will be powered by three natural-gas-fired turbines, will operate during times of heavy energy consumption, particularly in summer months.
Julie Way, AES project director, said she respects the board's concerns about student safety at the proposed high school.
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Way said the company conducted extensive environmental studies that were submitted to the commission for review.
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"We are confident that their independent review, when completed, will confirm our conclusions that the project will not pose any significant health risks or impacts to students or faculty at the proposed school site, as is feared by the board," Way said in an e-mail.
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The commission's preliminary staff assessment should be available for public review and comment near the end of the summer, Way said.
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The commission is expected to hold a public workshop on the project in Grand Terrace in the next month or two. Additional workshops will be conducted in Grand Terrace before the commission reaches a final decision, which is anticipated next year.
*If the project is approved, construction could begin in late 2008 or early 2009 to meet a summer 2010 startup date.
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The power plant would be northwest of the football stadium and baseball fields at the new high school.
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Alice Grundman, the school district's director of facilities planning and construction, said the enrollment capacity of the high school is 2,500 students.
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"I think it's possible to make (the plant) safe," Grundman said. "What's critical right now is for the school district to assist in the review of environmental documents, which we are doing."
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Contact writer Stephen Wall at (909) 386-3916 or via e-mail at stephen.wall@sbsun.com.