REGULAR MEETING OF THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION JULY 15, 2024 ▪ 6:00 PM AUSTIN ENERGY HEADQUARTERS/SHUDDE FATH CONFERENCE ROOM 4815 MUELLER BLVD AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Electric Utility Commission maybe participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely by telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation. To register contact Amy Everhart, at Amy.Everhart@AustinEnergy.com or via phone at 512-322-6087. AGENDA Members: Dave Tuttle, Chair Kaiba White, Vice Chair Ayo Akande Raul Alvarez Cesar Benavides Jonathon Blackburn Randy Chapman Mick Long Cyrus Reed Joshua Rhodes Vacant CALL MEETING TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 5 speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Meeting on June 10, 2024. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for cloud cross connect subscription services with Equinix Inc, for a term of one year in an amount not to exceed $175,000. 3. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary and desirable for the fee simple acquisition of an approximately 1.034 acre (45,046 square feet) tract of land located at 11202 Pearce Lane, Del Valle, Texas 78617 and being Lot 16, in Block L, of Timber Creek Section 2 according to the Plat recorded in Volume 55, Page 13, Plat Records of Travis County, Texas, said Lot 16 conveyed to Nazir Ahmad in that certain General Warranty Deed as recorded in document number 2022061446, Official Public Records of Travis County Texas from Mr. Nazir Ahmad, for an amount not to exceed $278,821 including estimated closing costs. 4. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract and other necessary and appropriate agreements with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC needed to evaluate and facilitate the potential sale of the District Energy and Cooling assets. 5. Recommend approval issuance of capacity-based incentives to Eanes Independent School District, for installation of solar electric systems on their facilities located at 2 Walsh Tarlton Lane, 304 Camp Craft Road, 1300 Walsh Tarlton Lane, 1201 S Capital of Texas HWY …
..Body Posting Language ..Title Authorize negotiation and execution of a contract for cloud crossconnect subscription services with Equinix Inc., for a term of one year in an amount not to exceed $175,000. [Note: This contract is exempt from City Code Chapter 2-9B (Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise Procurement Program); therefore, no subcontracting goals were established]. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Client Department(s) Austin Energy. Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $43,750 is available in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Operating Budget of Austin Energy. Funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. Purchasing Language: Critical Business Need. For More Information: Direct questions regarding this Recommendation for Council Action to the Financial Services Department – Central Procurement at: FSDCentralProcurementRCAs@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2500. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: July 15, 2024 - To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: The contract will provide cross connection services that connect telephone, billing, and other Austin Energy systems. These services establish stable, reliable connections between cloud providers, enhance network connectivity, and are critical to Austin Energy’s data infrastructure. The current contract expires on June 30, 2025 and was established under an emergency exemption during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, cross connect services were needed for additional Austin Energy systems, and the authorized funding is now depleted. Austin Energy declared a Critical Business Need to enter into a new short-term agreement with the same contractor to avoid service disruption while waiting for a new long-term contract to be executed. Without this contract, Austin Energy will sustain substantial impacts to customer telephony, billing and related services.
..De Posting Language ..Title Authorize negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary and desirable for the fee simple acquisition of an approximately 1.034 acre (45,046 square feet) tract of land located at 11202 Pearce Lane, Del Valle, Texas 78617 and being Lot 16, in Block L, of Timber Creek Section 2 according to the Plat recorded in Volume 55, Page 13, Plat Records of Travis County, Texas, said Lot 16 conveyed to Nazir Ahmad in that certain General Warranty Deed as recorded in document number 2022061446, Official Public Records of Travis County Texas from Mr. Nazir Ahmad, for an amount not to exceed $278,821 including estimated closing costs. Lead Department Financial Services Department. Fiscal Note Funding is available in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Capital Budget of Austin Energy. For More Information: Michael Gates, Financial Services Department, 512-974-5639; Brandon Williamson, Financial Services Department, 512-974-5666; Elaine D. Veselka, Austin Energy, 512-322-6667. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission on July 15, 2024. Additional Backup Information: Austin Energy is building a new transmission line to support development in the southeast region of the service territory. This new line will connect to the planned Timber Creek Substation, which will serve the rapidly growing southeast area, including the Velocity Crossing development. The most practical and cost-effective route for the transmission line includes this privately owned parcel. The purchase of this parcel will allow Austin Energy to accommodate its transmission line easement; the parcel may also serve as a construction laydown yard and provide other utility uses. An independent, third-party appraisal was procured to establish the fair-market valuation of the proposed acquisition. The appraisal supports the purchase price of $275,000. Attachments: Location Map Legal Description/Boundary Survey.
Posting Language ..Title Authorize negotiation and execution of a contract and other necessary and appropriate agreements with J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to evaluate and facilitate the potential sale of the District Energy and Cooling system. Lead Department Austin Energy. Fiscal Note A fiscal note is not required. For More Information: Amy Everhart, Director Local Government Issues, 512-322-6087; Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer, 512-322-6457. Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: July 15, 2024- To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. Additional Backup Information: This request is for consultant support to assist in the evaluation of a potential sale of the District Energy and Cooling (DEC) system, which uses electricity to chill water during off-peak hours, which then is pumped through a network of pipes to cool large buildings. Instead of each building having its own separate air conditioning system, these facilities share common infrastructure. These assets are separate from Austin Energy’s electric system and the potential sale of these assets will have no impact on providing electric service to Austin Energy’s more than half a million electric customers. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (JPM) will act as the financial advisor to facilitate this complex process and provide strategic advice, analysis, and other support to navigate this potential sale. Austin Energy may also enter into other necessary and appropriate agreements needed to facilitate this process, including but not limited to legal, real estate, engineering, human resources, and technology services. JPM will be compensated on a percentage fee basis if a sale is completed. Any expenses for other agreements will be paid from existing budgets subject to reimbursement from any sale proceeds. This entire process will take approximately 9-12 months to complete. If offers are favorable and a sale of the system is deemed worthy of proceeding, that transaction will be separate and will require further City Council approval.
..De Posting Language ..Title Approve issuance of capacity-based incentives to Eanes Independent School District, for installation of solar electric systems on their facilities located at 2 Walsh Tarlton Lane, 304 Camp Craft Road, 1300 Walsh Tarlton Lane, 1201 S Capital of Texas HWY NB, in an amount not to exceed $848,830. Lead Department Austin Energy Fiscal Note Funding in the amount of $848,830 is available in the Fiscal Year 2023-2024 Austin Energy Operating Budget. Prior Council Action: For More Information: Amy Everhart, Director Local Government Issues (512) 322-6087; Tim Harvey, Customer Renewable Solutions Manager (512) 482-5386 Council Committee, Boards and Commission Action: July 15, 2024 – To be reviewed by the Electric Utility Commission. July 16, 2024 – To be reviewed by the Resource Management Commission. Additional Backup Information: Austin Energy requests approval to issue these capacity-based incentives (CBI) to the Customer for the installation of solar electric systems at their facilities to produce renewable energy for on-site consumption. The table below provides a summary of the combined system sizes, costs, proposed incentives, and environmental benefits: Solar System Details* Total System Size (kW-DC) Total System Size (kW-AC) Annual Estimated Production (kWh) Total System Cost ($) Total Incentive ($) Percent of Cost Covered Reduction of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in tons Reduction of Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) in pounds Reduction of Nitrogen Oxide (NOX) in pounds Equivalency of Vehicle Miles Driven Equivalency of Cars on Austin Roadways Equivalency of Trees Planted Equivalency of Forest Acreage Added 943 783 1,371,105 $1,646,282 $848,830 52% 613 686 960 1,422,274 132 9,195 Environmental Benefits** and Emission Reduction Equivalencies*** *All solar equipment meets Austin Energy program requirements ** Environmental Benefits based on the US Energy Information Association’s state-wide electricity profile *** According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalency Calculator 649 Eanes Independent School District (ISD) is comprised of six elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and one adult transition services program. Eanes ISD serves approximately 7,800 students. Proposed Solar Projects Incentive Rate ($/W) System Cost Austin Energy Incentive Generation kWh/yr System Size kW DC System Size kW AC Energy Offset $0.90 $317,467 $163,687 260,549 151 74% $0.90 $203,179 $104,760 173,146 97 124% $0.90 $526,258 $271,341 440,861 250 97% 182 117 302 $0.90 $599,378 $309,042 496,549 344 285 80% Site Address 2Walsh Tarlton Ln Austin, TX, 78746 304 Camp Craft Rd West Lake Hills, TX, 78746 1300 Walsh Tarlton Ln Austin, TX, 78746 1201 …
ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 15, 2024 The Electric Utility Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, July 15, 2024, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723. Chair Dave Tuttle called the Electric Utility Commission meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. in Attendance: Dave Tuttle, Chair; Commissioner Cesar Benavides; Commissioners Commissioner Jonathon Blackburn; Commissioner Randy Chapman; Commissioner Mick Long Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Kaiba White, Vice Chair; Commissioner Ayo Akande; Commissioner Raul Alvarez; Commissioner Joshua Rhodes PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • Lanetta Cooper- District Energy Cooling • Paul Robbins- District Energy Cooling • Bradley C. Jarrell- was not present when name was called, did not speak. • Ben Suddaby- was not present when name was called, did not speak. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Meeting on June 10, 2024. The motion approving the minutes of the Regular Electric Utility Commission meeting of June 10, 2024, were approved on Commissioner Chapman’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on an 8-0 vote with Vice Chair White off the dais, Commissioners Reed absent, and one vacancy. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS 2. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for cloud cross connect subscription services with Equinix Inc, for a term of one year in an amount not to exceed $175,000. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of a contract for cloud cross connect subscription services was recommended on Commissioner Blackburn’s motion, Commissioner Chapman’s second on an 8-0 vote with Vice Chair White off the dais, Commissioner Reed absent, and one vacancy. 3. Recommend authorizing negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary and desirable for the fee simple acquisition of an approximately 1.034 acre (45,046 square feet) tract of land located at 11202 Pearce Lane, Del Valle, Texas 78617 and being Lot 16, in Block L, of Timber Creek Section 2 according to the Plat recorded in Volume 55, Page 13, Plat Records of Travis County, Texas, said Lot 16 conveyed to Nazir Ahmad in that certain General Warranty Deed as recorded in document number 2022061446, Official Public Records of Travis County Texas from Mr. Nazir Ahmad, for an amount not to exceed $278,821 including estimated closing costs. The motion to approve a recommendation authorizing negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary and desirable for the fee simple acquisition of …
