EXHIBIT 23.3


INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT

We  consent to the  reference  to our firm under the  caption  "Experts"  and to
incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement of The AES Corporation
on Form S-3 of our report  dated  December  30, 1997  relating to the  financial
statements of Companhia Centro-Oeste de Distribuicao de Energia Eletrica-CEEE D2
as at and for the nine months ended  September  30, 1997  prepared in accordance
with accounting practices originating in Brazil's Corporation Law, which appears
in Item 7 of the Current Report on Form 8-K of The AES Corporation dated January
9, 1998.


/s/ Ernst & Young
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Auditores Independentes
Porto Alegre, Brazil
February 10, 1998