SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



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                                    FORM 11-K

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                                  ANNUAL REPORT





                        Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934


For The Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2001     Commission File Number 333-82306




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                            Full Title of the Plan:

                            EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
                       INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY



           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






INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY


TABLE OF CONTENTS
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                                                                            Page

INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT                                                  1

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS:

     Statements of Assets Available for Benefits
        as of December 31, 2001 and 2000                                      2

     Statement of Changes in Assets Available for
        Benefits for the Year Ended December 31, 2001                         3

     Notes to Financial Statements                                            4

SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULES*:

     Item 4i - Schedule H - Schedule of Assets Held
        as of December 31, 2001                                               9

     Item 4j - Schedule H - Schedule of Reportable Transactions
        for the Year Ended December 31, 2001                                 10

o    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.


Exhibits:

EXHIBIT 23.1    Independent Auditors' Consent







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, 2001 and 2000, and the statement of changes in assets available for benefits
for the year  ended  December  31,  2001.  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, 2001 and
2000,  and the  changes  in assets  available  for  benefits  for the year ended
December 31, 2001 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 2001 financial  statements  and, in our opinion,  are fairly stated in
all  material  respects  when  considered  in  relation  to the basic  financial
statements taken as a whole.



/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Indianapolis, Indiana
June 25, 2002






INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY
EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN

STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ASSETS                                                     2001                2000

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

  IPALCO Enterprises, Inc.
    Common Stock                                                  -         199,266,393

  Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust
    Common/Collective Trust                               5,752,509          11,466,340

  Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust
    Common/Collective Trust                               4,797,633           6,494,733

  Aim Income Fund
    Mutual Fund                                             424,722             910,156

  Alliance Technology Fund
    Mutual Fund                                           2,044,443           3,373,940

  Ivy International Fund
    Mutual Fund                                             661,615           2,091,938

  Merrill Lynch Capital Fund
    Mutual Fund                                           2,782,731           5,438,763

  Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
    Mutual Fund                                          12,811,956          12,581,189

  Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
    Mutual Fund                                           8,296,472          17,603,828
                                                        -----------        ------------

           Total Investments                             73,881,511         259,227,280

CASH                                                         25,657           1,252,275

CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE                                    150,125             393,998

ACCRUED INTEREST AND DIVIDENDS                               85,961           1,441,053
                                                        -----------        ------------

ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS                           $74,143,254        $262,314,606
                                                        ============       ============



See notes to financial statements.





INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY
EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2001
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


INCREASES

Employee contributions                                        $  4,330,033
Company contributions, net                                       2,138,931
Interest and dividend income                                     3,228,532
                                                              ------------
Total                                                            9,697,496
                                                              ------------

DECREASES

Net depreciation in fair value of investments                   95,431,610
Withdrawals by participants or their beneficiaries             102,433,965
Administrative fees                                                  3,273
                                                              ------------
Total                                                          197,868,848
                                                              ------------

DECREASE IN ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS                     (188,171,352)

ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, BEGINNING OF YEAR               262,314,606
                                                              ------------

ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS, END OF YEAR                    $ 74,143,254
                                                              ============


See notes to financial statements.






INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY
EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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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 AES  Corporation  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 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, 2001 there is  currently  $36,486 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 the AES  Corporation.  Employee  contributions  are 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 7, 1995 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.

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

     On March 27,  2001 The AES  Corporation,  a Delaware  Corporation  ("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.



3.   NONPARTICIPANT-DIRECTED INVESTMENTS

     The employer  contribution portion of the AES Corporation common stock fund
     and IPALCO Enterprises,  Inc. 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 the
     these funds are as follows:

                                                     2001               2000
Net assets:
The AES Corporation common stock                 $  36,309,430      $          -
IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. common stock                        -       199,266,393



Changes in assets:
  Contributions                                  $   4,550,564
  Dividends                                          2,459,416
  Net deprecation in fair value of investment      (89,953,824)
Benefits paid to participants                      (46,444,542)
Transfers to participant-directed investments      (33,566,022)
Administrative fees and other expenses                  (2,555)
                                                 -------------
                                                 $(162,956,963)

                                                 =============




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 net assets.



                                                                   2001                2000

The AES Corporation common stock 2,220,760 and
                                                                             
  -0- shares, respectively                                     $36,309,430*        $          -

IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. common stock,
  -0- and 8,238,574 shares, respectively                       $         -         $199,266,393*

Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
  Mutual Fund, 255,276 and 483,223 shares, respectively        $ 8,296,472         $ 17,603,828

Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
  1,291,528 and 1,293,031 shares,
   respectively                                                $12,811,956         $ 12,581,189

Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust,
  4,797,633 and 6,494,733 shares, respectively                 $ 4,797,633         $          -

Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust,
    71,371 and 124,946 shares, respectively                    $ 5,752,509         $          -

* Includes nonparticipant-directed investments



     During 2001, the Plan's investments (including both realized and unrealized
     gains and losses) depreciated in value by $95,431,610 as follows:

Mutual Funds                                                   $ 4,005,419
Common/Collective Trust                                          1,472,367
Common Stock                                                    89,953,824
                                                               -----------
Net depreciation in fair value of investments                  $95,431,610
                                                               ===========



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,
     2001 and 2000  approximates  market value. The average yield rates for 2001
     and 2000 were approximately 6.50% and 6.65%, 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
                                        EIN:  35-0413620
                                        PN:   003

INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY
EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN

SCHEDULE OF ASSETS HELD
AS OF DECEMBER 31, 2001
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                                                           Fair
    Shares                   Description                                Cost               Value


     63,391         Aim Income Fund
                                                                                  
                    Mutual Fund                                     $    441,639        $   424,722

     30,414         Alliance Technology Fund
                    Mutual Fund                                        3,267,990          2,044,443

  2,220,760         The AES Corporation Common Stock                  61,030,812         36,309,430

     31,978         Ivy International Fund
                    Mutual Fund                                          949,142            661,615

  4,797,633         Merrill Lynch Retirement Preservation Trust
                    Common/Collective Trust                            4,797,633          4,797,633

     71,371         Merrill Lynch Equity Index Trust
                    Common/Collective Trust                            5,684,761          5,752,509

    255,276         Oppenheimer Main Street Income & Growth
                    Mutual Fund                                        9,220,640          8,296,472

  1,291,528         Merrill Lynch Federal Securities Trust
                    Mutual Fund                                       12,557,493         12,811,956

    104,105         Merrill Lynch Capital Fund
                    Mutual Fund                                        3,208,690          2,782,731
                                                                       ----------         ---------

            Total Investments                                       $101,158,800        $73,881,511
                                                                    =============       ===========










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

INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY
EMPLOYEES THRIFT PLAN

SCHEDULE OF REPORTABLE TRANSACTIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2001
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                                      Purchase            Selling
Description of Asset                                    Price              Price             Net Gain

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:
                                                                                  
    IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. Common Stock            $ 4,011,078
    The AES Corporation Common Stock                   7,078,196

  Sold:
    IPALCO Enterprises, Inc. Common Stock             20,714,908        $43,102,301        $22,387,393
    The AES Corporation Common Stock                   6,983,056          8,634,519          1,651,463







                                   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  cuased this  annual  report to be signed on its behalf by the  undersigned
hereunto duly authorized.

                                        EMPLOYEES' THRIFT PLAN OF
                                        INDIANAPOLIS POWER & LIGHT COMPANY



DATE:  June___, 2002                    By: /s/ Edward J. Kunz
                                           ----------------------------------
                                           Edward J. Kunz
                                        Title: Chairman