SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549


                                    FORM 11-K


(Mark One)

[X] ANNUAL REPORT  PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE  SECURITIES  EXCHANGE ACT OF
    1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2002

OR

[ ] TRANSITION  REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES  EXCHANGE ACT
    OF 1934


For the transition period from ____ to ____

Commission file number 333-82306

     A. Full title of the plan and the address of the plan,  if  different  from
that of the issuer named below:

          Employees' Thrift Plan of Indianapolis Power & Light Company

     B. Name of  issuer  of the  securities  held  pursuant  to the plan and the
address of its principal executive office:

                               The AES Corporation
                             1001 North 19th Street
                               Arlington, VA 22209

                              REQUIRED INFORMATION

     A list of the required financial statements filed as part of this Form 11-K
is set forth on page F-1. The consent of Deloitte & Touche to the  incorporation
by reference of these financial  statements into the AES Corporation's  Form S-8
Registration  Statement relating to the Plan (Registration No. 333-82306) is set
forth hereto as Exhibit 23. The certification of the chief executive officer and
the chief financial officer of Indianapolis  Power & Light Company,  pursuant to
18 U.S.C. ss.1350, is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.


Employees' Thrift Plan of Indianapolis Power & Light Company

Financial Statements for the Years Ended
December 31, 2002 and 2001,
Supplemental Schedules as of and for the
Year Ended December 31, 2002, and
Independent Auditors' Report




EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY


TABLE OF CONTENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                                                                 Page

                                                                                                       

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT                                                                                       1

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

     Statements of Assets Available for Benefits as of December 31, 2002 and 2001                                  2

     Statement of Changes in Assets Available for Benefits for the Year Ended December 31, 2002                    3

     Notes to Financial Statements                                                                                 4

SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULES*:

     Item 4i - Schedule H - Schedule of Assets (Held at the End of Year) as of December 31, 2002                   9

     Item 4j - Schedule H - Schedule of Reportable Transactions for the Year Ended
       December 31, 2002                                                                                          10

*    Schedules not filed herewith are omitted because of the absence of the
     conditions under which they are required by Department of Labor's Rules and
     Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure under the Employees Retirement
     Income Security Act of 1974.



EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2002 AND 2001
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ASSETS                                            2002                2001

INVESTMENTS - at fair value:
  The AES Corporation
     Common Stock                              $ 8,065,808        $36,309,430

Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust
  Common/Collective Trust                        4,181,345          5,752,509

Merrill Lynch Rtirement Preservatin Trust
  Common/Collective Trust                        4,215,854          4,797,633

Aim Income Fund
  Mutual Fund                                      485,582            424,722

Alliance Technology Fund
  Mutual Fund                                    1,134,435          2,044,443

Ivy International Fund
  Mutual Fund                                      538,193            661,615

Merrill Lynch Capital Fund
  Mutual Fund                                    2,094,130          2,782,731

Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
  Mutual Fund                                   10,364,771         12,811,956

Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
  Mutual Fund                                    6,344,482          8,296,472
                                               -----------        -----------
      Total Investments                         37,424,600         73,881,511

CASH                                                 3,312             25,657

CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE                           220,033            150,125

ACCRUED INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS                      88,240             85,961
                                               -----------        -----------
ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS                  $37,738,185        $74,143,254
                                               ===========        ===========

See notes to financial statements.


EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

INCREASES

Employee contributions                                            $ 2,570,285
Company contributions, net                                          1,324,211
Interest and dividend income                                          854,684
                                                                  -----------

           Total                                                    4,749,180
                                                                  -----------

DECREASES

Net depreciation in fair value of investments                      32,745,727
Withdrawals by participants or their beneficiaries                  8,380,653
Administrative fees                                                    27,869
                                                                  -----------

           Total                                                   41,154,249
                                                                  -----------

DECREASE IN ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS                         (36,405,069)

ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, BEGINNING OF YEAR                   74,143,254
                                                                  -----------

ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, END OF YEAR                        $37,738,185
                                                                  ===========


See notes to financial statements.



EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


1.   SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

     Basis of Accounting

     The financial  statements  of the  Employees'  Thrift Plan of  Indianapolis
     Power & Light Company (the "Plan") have been prepared on the accrual basis.

     Plan Assets

     Assets of the Plan are  maintained in trust.  Once placed in trust,  assets
     may be withdrawn only for the purpose of refunding employee  contributions,
     payment of vested employer  contributions to employees withdrawing from the
     Plan, to employees  obtaining an  in-service  (suspension)  withdrawal,  to
     retiring employees,  and to beneficiaries of deceased employees;  or to pay
     expenses of the Plan. All payments made from the trust require the approval
     of the  Employees'  Pension  Committee  of the  Employees'  Thrift  Plan of
     Indianapolis Power & Light Company (the "Pension Committee").

     Merrill  Lynch  Trust  Company  of  America  ("Merrill  Lynch") is the sole
     trustee and recordkeeper of the assets of the Plan.

     Investments

     Investments  in securities are stated at fair value as determined by quoted
     market prices.  Investment  transactions are recorded as of the trade date.
     The cost of the securities sold is determined on a specific  identification
     basis.

     Use of Management Estimates

     The  preparation  of financial  statements  in conformity  with  accounting
     principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires that
     management make certain  estimates and assumptions that affect the reported
     amounts of assets and liabilities  and disclosure of contingent  assets and
     liabilities at the date of the financial  statements.  The reported amounts
     of increases and  decreases in assets during the reporting  period may also
     be affected by the  estimates  and  assumptions  management  is required to
     make. Actual results may differ from those estimates.

     Administrative Fees

     The Trustee  assesses each  participant  $1.88 on a quarterly basis for the
     base service fee. Participants pay a commission of $0.08 per share for open
     market  transactions  in The AES  Corporation  ("AES")  common  stock.  The
     commission is reflected in the price per share for each transaction.  There
     are no other transaction-based fees for the investment funds.

     Expenses for postage and handling for participant statements, confirmations
     and  distributions  are charged directly to  participants.  It is estimated
     that these expenses will be  approximately  $3.00 per  participant per plan
     year.

     Payment of Benefits

     Upon severance of employment, a participant may elect to receive a lump sum
     payment for the full value of the participant's  account,  including vested
     employer  contributions and related earnings.  The participant also has the
     option of  maintaining  the account until reaching the age of 70 1/2 years.
     Benefits are recorded when paid.

2.   DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAN

     The Plan is administered  by the Pension  Committee which is a committee of
     not less than five  persons  appointed  by the  Indianapolis  Power & Light
     Company ("IPALCO") Board of Directors.  The Plan is a defined  contribution
     plan, and employees  become eligible to participate in the Plan immediately
     upon date of employment.

     All  employees  become  fully  vested  in the  Plan  after  five  years  of
     uninterrupted  service.  Termination  of  employment  before the  five-year
     requirement  requires forfeiture of a prorated amount of allocated employer
     contributions.  Forfeited  amounts may be used to reduce employer  matching
     contributions.  As of December  31, 2002 there is  currently  $3,160 in the
     forfeiture fund.

     The Plan is valued on a daily "share" valuation.

     Employee  contributions  are made through payroll  deductions  representing
     amounts  equal to a  specific  percentage  of the  employee's  base rate of
     compensation. Employees have the option of contributing anywhere from 1% to
     21%, in increments of 1%, and direct their  contributions  into any of nine
     options.  Employees  can make such  contributions  under a "Before  Tax" or
     "After Tax" option.  Employer  contributions are made in an amount equal to
     current  employee  contributions  up to a maximum of 4% and are invested in
     the common stock of AES. Prior to February 9, 2002, employer  contributions
     were not  transferable  to any of the other  funds.  Effective  February 9,
     2002, participants are allowed to transfer employer contributions to any of
     the available  investment options in accordance with the Plan's procedures.
     Each participant's account is credited with the participant's  contribution
     and the Company's matching  contribution.  Allocations of Plan earnings are
     based on individual  account balances relative to total account balances as
     of the valuation dates.

     Participant fund transfers are subject to certain  restrictions as outlined
     in the  Summary  Plan  Description.  In  the  event  of  partial  or  total
     termination  of the Plan,  the funds in the Plan  shall be valued as of the
     date of partial  or total  termination  and,  after  payment  of  necessary
     expenses, shall be distributed as though all participants directly affected
     by the partial or total termination had retired as of that date.

     The Plan is  maintained  with the intent of being a  qualified  trust under
     Section  401(a) of the Internal  Revenue Code.  Its related trust is exempt
     from  Federal  income  taxes  under  Section  501(a) of the Code.  The Plan
     obtained its latest  determination  letter on February 6, 2003 in which the
     Internal  Revenue  Service stated that the Plan, as then  designed,  was in
     compliance with the applicable  requirements of the Internal  Revenue Code.
     The  Plan  has been  amended  since  receiving  the  determination  letter.
     However, the Plan administrator and the Plan's tax counsel believe that the
     Plan,  as amended,  is being  operated in  compliance  with the  applicable
     requirements of the Internal Revenue Code.

     Although  it has not  expressed  any intent to do so,  IPALCO has the right
     under  the  Plan  to  discontinue  its  contributions  at any  time  and to
     terminate the Plan subject to the provisions of ERISA. In the event of Plan
     termination, participants would become 100 percent vested in their employer
     contributions.

     Participants  should  refer  to the  Summary  Plan  Description  for a more
     detailed description of the Plan.

     On March 27,  2001,  AES  acquired  IPALCO  Enterprises,  Inc.  through  an
     Agreement and Plan of Share Exchange.

     On June 21,  2001,  the Plan  was  amended  to no  longer  allow  non-union
     employees to make  contributions  to or  participate  in the Plan effective
     July 7, 2001. Effective January 1, 2003, all non-union employees,  who were
     hired  prior  to July 1,  2001,  were  given a  choice  to make a  one-time
     irrevocable election to rejoin the plan.

3.   NONPARTICIPANT-DIRECTED INVESTMENTS

     The   employer   contribution   portion  of  AES   common   stock  fund  is
     nonparticipant-directed.   Information   about  the  assets  available  for
     benefits and significant  components of the changes in assets available for
     benefits relating to this fund is as follows:





                                                                    2002               2001

     Net assets:
                                                                              
       The AES Corporation common stock                          $  8,065,808       $36,309,430

     Changes in assets:
       Contributions                                              $ 2,432,066
       Net deprecation in fair value of investment                (28,846,893)
       Withdrawals by participants or their beneficiaries            (763,026)
       Transfers to participant-directed investments               (1,064,419)
       Administrative fees and other expenses                          (1,350)
                                                                 ------------

                                                                 $(28,243,622)


4.   RISKS AND UNCERTAINTIES

     The  Plan  invests  in  various   securities   including  U.S.   Government
     securities,  corporate  debt  instruments,   corporate  stocks,  registered
     investment companies, and common/collective  trusts. Investment securities,
     in general,  are exposed to various risks,  such as interest rate,  credit,
     and overall market  volatility.  Due to the level of risk  associated  with
     certain investment  securities,  it is reasonably  possible that changes in
     the values of  investment  securities  will occur in the near term and that
     such changes could materially affect the amounts reported in the statements
     of net assets available for benefits.


5.   INVESTMENTS

     The following presents  investments that represent 5 percent or more of the
     Plan's assets.





                                                                         2002            2001

                                                                            
     The AES Corporation common stock 2,670,797 and
       2,220,760 shares, respectively                                $ 8,065,808*    $36,309,430*

     Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
       Mutual Fund, 244,019 and 255,276 shares, respectively         $ 6,344,482     $ 8,296,472

     Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
       1,001,427 and 1,291,528 shares, respectively                  $10,364,771     $12,811,956

     Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust,
       4,215,854 and 4,797,633 shares, respectively                  $ 4,215,854     $ 4,797,633

     Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust,
       66,741 and 71,371 shares, respectively                        $ 4,181,345     $ 5,752,509

     Merrill Lynch Capital Fund
       94,076 and 104,105 shares, respectively                       $ 2,094,130     $ 2,782,731

* Includes nonparticipant-directed investments



     During 2002, the Plan's investments (including both realized and unrealized
     gains and losses) depreciated in value by $32,745,727 as follows:

     Mutual Funds                                          $ 2,638,096
     Common/Collective Trust                                 1,260,738
     Common Stock                                           28,846,893
                                                           -----------
     Net depreciation in fair value of investments         $32,745,727
                                                           ===========


6.   MERRILL LYNCH RETIREMENT PRESERVATION TRUST

     One of the investment  funds is the Merrill Lynch  Retirement  Preservation
     Trust,  which is a trust for the collective  investment of Qualified Plans.
     The majority of the fund assets consist of investment  contracts  which are
     included in the financial  statements at contract value,  (which represents
     contributions made under the contracts, plus earnings, less withdrawals and
     administrative  expenses)  because they are fully benefit  responsive.  For
     example,  participants may ordinarily  direct the withdrawal or transfer of
     all or a  portion  of their  investment  at  contract  value.  There are no
     reserves  against  contract value for credit risk of the contract issuer or
     otherwise.  The contract value of the investment  contracts at December 31,
     2002 and 2001  approximates  market value. The average yield rates for 2002
     and 2001 were approximately 5.47% and 6.50%, respectively.

7.   RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

     Merrill Lynch, the Plan Trustee,  invests in AES common stock. Since AES is
     the parent company of IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. and IPALCO Enterprises, Inc.
     is the  parent  company  of  Indianapolis  Power &  Light,  any  investment
     transactions   involving   AES  common  stock   qualify  as   related-party
     transactions.  Merrill Lynch is also the Investment Manager for the Merrill
     Lynch Retirement  Preservation Trust, the Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust,
     the Merrill Lynch Capital  Fund,  and the Merrill Lynch Federal  Securities
     Trust.

                                      *****





                                                         Form 5500 - Schedule H, Part IV, Line 4i
                                                         Schedule of Assets (Held at End of Year)
                                                         EIN:  35-0413620
                                                         PN:   003
EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

SCHEDULE OF ASSETS (HELD AT END OF YEAR)
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                                         Fair
      Shares             Description                                  Cost               Value

                                                                               
        75,636   Aim Income Fund
                   Mutual Fund                                                        $   485,582

        29,581   Alliance Technology Fund
                   Mutual Fund                                                          1,134,435

     2,670,797 * The AES Corporation Common Stock                  $53,558,126          8,065,808

        32,917   Ivy International Fund
                   Mutual Fund                                                            538,193

     4,215,854 * Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust
                   Common/Collective Trust                                              4,215,854

        66,741 * Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust
                   Common/Collective Trust                                              4,181,345

       244,019   Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
                   Mutual Fund                                                          6,344,482

     1,001,427 * Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
                   Mutual Fund                                                         10,364,771

        94,076 * Merrill Lynch Capital Fund
                   Mutual Fund                                                          2,094,130
                                                                                      -----------

                 Total Investments                                                    $37,424,600
                                                                                      ===========


                 * Party-in-interest transaction







                                                                        Form 5500 - Schedule H, Part IV, Line 4j
                                                                        Schedule of Reportable Transactions
                                                                        EIN:  35-0413620
                                                                        PN:   003

EMPLOYEES THRIFT PLAN OF
INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY

SCHEDULE OF REPORTABLE TRANSACTIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2002
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                                    Purchase           Selling
Description of Asset                                                  Price             Price            Net Loss

                                                                                                
Single transactions representing 5% or more of
  net assets available for benefits at beginning
  of year:

    No activity to report

Series of transactions representing 5% or more
   of net assets available for benefits at beginning
   of the year:

  Purchased:
    The AES Corporation Common Stock                                 $3,713,836

  Sold:
    The AES Corporation Common Stock                                 $9,573,888        $2,628,953        $(6,944,935)





INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT


To  the  Employees'   Pension   Committee  of  the  Employees'  Thrift  Plan  of
Indianapolis Power & Light Company

We have audited the accompanying  statements of assets available for benefits of
the Employees' Thrift Plan of Indianapolis  Power & Light Company as of December
31, 2002 and 2001, and the related  statement of changes in assets available for
benefits for the year ended December 31, 2002.  These  financial  statements are
the responsibility of the Plan's management. Our responsibility is to express an
opinion on these financial statements based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted
in the  United  States of  America.  Those  standards  require  that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain  reasonable  assurance  about  whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a
test basis,  evidence  supporting  the amounts and  disclosures in the financial
statements.  An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and
significant  estimates  made by  management,  as well as evaluating  the overall
financial  statement  presentation.   We  believe  that  our  audits  provide  a
reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our  opinion,  such  financial  statements  present  fairly,  in all material
respects, the assets available for benefits of the Plan at December 31, 2002 and
2001,  and the  changes  in assets  available  for  benefits  for the year ended
December 31, 2002, in conformity with accounting  principles  generally accepted
in the United States of America.

Our audits  were  conducted  for the  purpose of forming an opinion on the basic
financial statements taken as a whole. The supplemental  schedules listed in the
Table of Contents are presented  for the purpose of additional  analysis and are
not a required part of the basic  financial  statements,  but are  supplementary
information  required by the  Department  of Labor's Rules and  Regulations  for
Reporting and Disclosure  under the Employee  Retirement  Income Security Act of
1974. These schedules are the  responsibility  of the Plan's  management.  These
schedules have been subjected to the auditing procedures applied in our audit of
the basic 2002 financial  statements  and, in our opinion,  are fairly stated in
all material  respects when  considered in relation to the basic 2002  financial
statements taken as a whole.


/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP
DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana
June 16, 2003

                                   SIGNATURES

     The Plan.  Pursuant to the  requirements of the Securities  Exchange Act of
1934, the trustees (or other persons who  administer the employee  benefit plan)
have  duly  caused  this  annual  report  to be  signed  on  its  behalf  by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


                           EMPLOYEE'S THRIFT PLAN OF INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT
                           COMPANY By the Plan Administrator:


                           EMPLOYEE'S PENSION COMMITTEE OF INDIANAPOLIS POWER &
                           LIGHT COMPANY


                           By: /s/ Edward J. Kunz
                               -------------------------------------------------
                               Edward J. Kunz, Chairman of the Committee





DATE: June 27, 2003