AUDIO: Hear The Sound Nearby Residents Heard From AES Power Plant On Studebaker When Faulty Valve Prematurely Released Steam; See Emailed Descriptions We Received From Readers In SE LB and ELB
Wasn't Over-Pressurization, Wasn't An Emergency...But Company's Lack of Timely Info For Public Concerns Us
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(Oct. 30, 2015, 6:45 a.m.) -- LBREPORT.com provides below AUDIO of the sound heard -- and recorded -- by a reader who indicates he lives just across the 22 freeway from the AES Alamitos Power Plant (natural gas fueled 2,000 MW facility) at 690 Studebaker Rd. where a faulty valve released steam prematurely (not an over-pressurization, not an emergency situation) on Oct. 28 at about 10:12 p.m. The company indicates the incident lasted about five minutes.
We also provide below reader descriptions of what it was like (received in response to our initial article on the incident.)
[The reader shot video, which was too dark to display much, but the audio track speaks for itself.]
[Scroll down for further.]
Reader responses to us:
[6300 block of Eliot St., indicates has lived in the area since house was built in 1960]..."Last night's [Oct. 28] event was the loudest ever. I have no doubt it was well beyond safe limits as our entire household was holding the ears of crying and frightened grandchildren. It was so much louder than any previous event to the point I thought we were going to die. To have this down-played or worse, ignored would be ridiculous. I for one one answers and no less than an apology."
[Lives in University Park Estates on Vista near Channel Park] "...about as close as you can get (just across Studebaker and Loynes)...The noise was deafening. We have lived here 13 1/2 years and Never was it as loud and long as last night. They must give a date and time and indeed have an after hours number available when these will take place. This was more than unnerving and although we figured out after two or three minutes what was happening, I was ready to call 911 and trust I am not an alarmist. Even an automated call the day of or let our UPENA neighborhood know when it is going to occur."
"We live at 7th and PCH and it was VERY loud. To me, it sounded like a very loud airplane flying right over the house. I didn't go outside so I didn't see anything."
[A reader reported at the time: "Incredibly loud, brought worried neighbors out of their homes here in Belmont shore. White smoke/steam [editor note: it was steam not smoke] was visible, like they were venting high pressure for several minutes. Definitely NOT usual for them."
On learning of the incident, LBREPORT.com tried (11 p.m. hour Oct. 28) and the next morning (Oct. 29 before 8 a.m.) to reach AES reps by phone; the company provides no contact phone numbers or emails we could find on its website for after-hours information; it does list some phone numbers but they go to a "leave a message" voice mail/answering machine.
It took nearly twelve hours for us to get confirmation and an explanation from AES. A company rep told us, and we reported, that the plant has steam pressure release valves as a safety release measure to prevent over pressurization of the system; what happened last night wasn't due to an over-pressurization but a valve that released steam when it shouldn't have. A steam plume was visible; it wasn't smoke; it was steam and lasted about five minutes starting at about 10:12 p.m.
We politely communicated to a company rep our dissatisfaction with AES' lack of an after-hours contact number for after-hours information. In our opinion, AES should provide an after-hours contact number, or email address, and at minimum use available social networks (Facebook or Twitter to provide information on such incidents (emergency or otherwise.) We hope the company makes those changes on its own, but we do plan to bring this issue to the Public Utilities Commission's attention and will urge that agency to require AES to do so. We think residents (and the press) in and around a large natural gas fired facility should be able to access information on such incidents in a 21st century digital manner.
What happened on Oct. 28 wasn't an emergency..but about two and half years ago, there was one. On March 20, 2013, LBREPORT.com reported that residents reported what they said sounded like an explosion at the AES plant that sent a plume of steam skyward.
Mar. 20, 2013: Scene several minutes after incident.
AES provided this March 20, 2013 release on what occurred...and it doesn't use the word "explosion":
[AES text] At 7:44 a.m. [March 20, 2013], Unit 3 at the AES Alamitos Generating Station experienced a rupture in a five-inch pipe that carries high pressure steam and water to the boiler. When the rupture occurred, an immediate shutdown of the Unit was initiated and the site’s emergency response procedures were followed.
The police and fire responded quickly and were on standby while AES verified that all people were safe and accounted for.
"Safety is a top priority at AES -- for our people, contractors and the community," said Plant Manager Weikko Wirta. "We appreciate the responsiveness and professionalism of the Long Beach fire and police departments and we are grateful that no one was injured."
The release of steam caused a large visible plume and excessive noise for approximately 45 minutes until the Unit was fully depressurized and taken out of service.
"We always strive to be a good neighbor and are sensitive to the impact the noise may have had on the community," said AES Southland President Eric Pendergraft. "We responded as quickly as possible to shutdown the facility minimize the impact."
AES Alamitos is a 6-unit, 2,000 MW natural gas-fueled power plant, which can provide enough electricity to power approximately two million homes.
[End archival coverage]
"Safety is a top priority for AES Alamitos -- for our workers and our neighbors," the company website states. "We're proud that we haven't experienced a single Lost Time Accident in over 12 years.
Again: what took place last night (Oct. 28, 2015) wasn't an emergency...but since such things can happen, we think timely information should be more available than it currently is.
The AES website says the facility on Studebaker Rd. is a 2,000 MW, natural gas fueled power plant...and one of the largest in Southern CA. The company website indicates it was built between 1955 and 1967 and owned and operated by SCE until sold under an industry restructuring in the late 1990s...and AES Southland purchased former SCE generating facilities in Long Beach (Studebaker Rd.), Huntington Beach and Redondo Beach in 1998.
[AES website text] We're currently working on plans to replace the current site with cleaner, more efficient and attractive generating facility. Our plans will eliminate use of ocean water for cooling, increase the local taxes we pay, and we'll continue to be an important source of local jobs and revenue -- not just during the modernization phase, but for years to come. Please visit our New Projects page to learn more...
...Recent changes to California environmental law require power plants to significantly reduce the use of ocean water for cooling. This provides an opportunity to ensure a cleaner, more reliable energy future by replacing our existing plant with a modern natural gas power plant that is more efficient and responsive to California's electricity needs...
The Alamitos Energy Center (AEC) [new facility] will be a natural gas-fired, combined cycle, air-cooled power plant with the capacity to power millions of homes and businesses. AEC can serve both peak and intermediate loads, and can provide system stability by delivering reactive power, voltage support, frequency stability and rotating mass -- in the heart of the critical Western Los Angeles' local reliability area.
It will not only provide Long Beach with a sustainable and economically viable future, -- but also help California meet its aggressive green energy goals by helping integrate more renewable power. It will also have much lower stacks and far superior "curb-appeal" than the existing plant.
