Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 17, 2025 ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 17, 2025 The Electric Utility Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723. Chair Dave Tuttle called the Electric Utility Commission meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Commissioner Dave Tuttle, Chair; Commissioner Lauren Bellomy; Commissioner Cesar Benavides; Commissioner Chris Gillett; Commissioner Chris Kirksey; Commissioner Cyrus Reed. Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Commissioner Kaiba White, Vice Chair; Commissioner Raul Alvarez; Commissioner Al Braden; Commissioner Joshua Rhodes. Commissioners Absent: Commissioner Jonathan Blackburn PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • Robert Foster – Battery storage investment • Santiago – Festival Beach Food Forest in Edward Rendon Park • Dale Bulla – Energy efficiency and uninsulated air conditioning refrigerant lines • Kamil Cook – Battery storage expansion and community engagement APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Meeting on June 9, 2025. The motion approving the minutes of the Regular Electric Utility Commission meeting of June 9, 2025, were approved on Commissioner Reed’s motion, Commissioner Benavides’ second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for evaluation of facilities for Austin Energy with HDR Engineering, Inc., for an initial term of two years with up to three 1-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $850,000. Funding: $28,333 is available in the Operating Budget of Austin Energy, and funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 17, 2025 The motion to recommend approval authorizing execution of a contract for evaluation of facilities for Austin Energy with HDR Engineering, Inc. was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner Bellomy’s second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. 3. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for regulatory consulting services for Austin Energy with NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC. d/b/a NewGen Strategies and Solutions, for a term to be in effect until the scope of work is complete, in an amount not to exceed $300,000. Funding: $25,000 is available in the Operating Budget of Austin Energy, funding for the remaining contract term is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. The motion to recommend approval authorizing execution of a contract for regulatory consulting services for Austin Energy with NewGen Strategies and Solutions, LLC. d/b/a NewGen Strategies and Solutions, was recommended on Vice Chair White’s motion, Commissioner Reed’s second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. 4. Recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to acquire approximately 0.0168 acres (730 square feet) of permanent electric transmission and distribution easement out of Outlot 55, Division “O”, City of Austin, Travis County, Texas, generally located at 1104 Lambie Street, Austin, Texas 78702, being a portion of Lot 19, Block 2, Elm Grove, a subdivision of record in Book 2, Page 241, Plat Records, Travis County, Texas, from Carmen Marie Nenadal, as Trustee of the Carmen Marie Nenadal Living Trust, for a total amount not to exceed $81,174, including closing costs. Funding: $81,174 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Energy. The motion to recommend approval of a resolution authorizing the negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to acquire approximately 0.0168 acres (730 square feet) of permanent electric transmission and distribution easement out of Outlot 55, Division “O”, City of Austin, Travis County, Texas, generally located at 1104 Lambie Street, Austin, Texas 78702, being a portion of Lot 19, Block 2, Elm Grove, a subdivision of record in Book 2, Page 241, was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner Bellomy’s second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. 5. Recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of a battery tolling agreement with Balcones Ridge Resiliency, LLC, a Jupiter Power subsidiary, for up to 100 megawatts of electricity from a utility-scale battery facility, in an estimated amount not to exceed $14,400,000 per year, for a term up to 20 years, for a total estimated amount not to exceed $288,000,000. Funding: $14,400,000 is available in the Fiscal Year 2026 Operating budget. Funding for the remaining years of the agreement is contingent upon available funding in future budgets. The motion to recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of a contract of a battery tolling agreement with Balcones Ridge Resiliency, LLC, a Jupiter Power subsidiary, was recommended on Vice Chair’s motion, Commissioner Braden’s second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 17, 2025 6. Recommend approval authorizing an amendment to a contract for the Underground Electrical Civil Construction for Austin Energy with Mastec North America, Inc., to increase the amount by $48,000,000, for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $120,000,000. Funding: $48,000,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Energy. The motion to recommend approval authorizing execution of a contract for Underground Electrical Civil Construction for Austin Energy with Mastec North America, Inc., was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner Bellomy’s second on an 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. 7. Review and Approve the Annual Internal Review of the Electric Utility Commission for July 2024 through June 2025. The commission reviewed and the motion to recommend approval of the Annual Internal Review of the Electric Utility Commission for July 2024 through June 2025 was approved on Commissioner Reed’s motion, Commissioner Kirksey’s second on a 10-0 vote, with Commissioner Blackburn absent. STAFF BRIEFINGS 8. Staff briefing on the Overhead Distribution Resilience Study by David Tomczyszyn, Vice President, Electric System Engineering & Technical Services – Austin Energy and Michael Conte, Project Delivery Director – 1898 & Co. The staff briefing on the Overhead Distribution Resilience Study was presented by David Tomczyszyn, Vice President, Electric System Engineering & Technical Services – Austin Energy and Michael Conte, Project Delivery Director – 1898 & Co. 9. Staff Briefing on the FY 2025/26 Austin Energy Budget by John Davis, Acting Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. The staff briefing on the FY 2025/26 Austin Energy Budget was presented by John Davis, Acting Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Solar for All and tax credit expiration • Consumer Protection bills passed during Texas State Legislature ADJOURNMENT Chair Tuttle adjourned the meeting at 8:21 p.m. without objection. The meeting minutes were approved at the August 11, 2025, meeting on Commissioner Bellomy’s motion, Commissioner Gillet’s second on an 8-0 vote with Commissioners Alvarez and Reed off the dais and Chair Tuttle absent.