Approved Minutes — original pdf

Approved Minutes

ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION REGULAR CALLED MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 The Electric Utility Commission convened in a regular called meeting on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Austin Energy Headquarters, 4815 Mueller Blvd, Austin, TX 78723. Chair David Tuttle called the Electric Utility Commission meeting to order at 6:04 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Commissioner Dave Tuttle, Chair; Commissioner Lauren Bellomy; Commissioner Chris Gillett; and Commissioner Chris Kirksey. Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Commissioner Raul Alvarez; Commissioner Cesar Benavides; Commissioner Al Braden, Vice Chair; Commissioner Cyrus Reed; and Commissioner Kaiba White. Commissioners Absent: Jonathaon Blackburn PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL • David Levesque- upcoming Energy Hackathon; vote yes on item 12, working group focused on Local Solar + Battery permitting and installation processes. • Paul Robbins- concerns about the economics of item 7, battery storage agreement. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission Regular Called Meeting on May 11, 2026. The motion approving the minutes of the Electric Utility Commission meeting on May 11, 2026, were approved on Commissioner Bellomy’s motion, Commissioner Gillett’s second on a 6-0 vote with Commissioners Alvarez, Benavides, and White off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Recommend approval authorizing two contracts for electric protective devices to protect against reverse power flow for Austin Energy with Techline Inc. and KBS Electrical Distributors Inc., for a term of two years with up to three 1-year extension options for a total contract amount not to exceed $10,000,000 divided between the contractors. Funding: $500,000 is available in ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 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 two contracts for electric protective devices to protect against reverse power flow for Austin Energy with Techline Inc. and KBS Electrical Distributors Inc., was recommended on Vice Chair Braden’s motion, Commissioner Kirksey’s second on an 8-0 vote with Commissioner Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 3. Recommend approval authorizing an amendment to a contract for continued services of an electronic visitor management system for Austin Energy with Force 5, Inc., to increase the amount by $270,000, for a revised total contract amount not to exceed $1,087,330. Funding: $55,000 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 an amendment to a contract for continued services of an electronic visitor management system for Austin Energy with Force 5, Inc., was recommended on Commissioner Bellomy’s motion, Commissioner Kirksey’s second on a 7-1 vote with Commissioner White voting against, Commissioner Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 4. Recommend approval authorizing a contract for underground utility locating services for Austin Energy with Line Quest LLC, for an initial term of two years with up to three 1-year extension options in an amount not to exceed $11,050,000. Funding: $552,500 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 a contract for underground utility locating services for Austin Energy with Line Quest LLC, was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner’s Bellomy’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Alvarez and Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 5. Recommend approval authorizing four contracts for engineering services for the 2026 Engineering Services for Austin Energy Plants and Distribution Systems Rotation List for Austin Energy with Stanley Consultants, Inc., HDR Engineering, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc., for total contract amounts not to exceed $10,000,000 divided among the firms. Funding: $10,000,000 is available in the Capital Budget of Austin Energy. The motion to recommend approval authorizing four contracts for engineering services for the 2026 Engineering Services for Austin Energy Plants and Distribution Systems Rotation List for Austin Energy with Stanley Consultants, Inc., HDR Engineering, Inc., Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Lockwood Andrews & Newnam, Inc., was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner’s Bellomy’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Alvarez and Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 6. Recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to convey an approximately 0.55-acre (23,958 square feet) Electric Line Easement and Right of Way located at the Salem Walk Substation at the end of Salem Hill Drive, Austin, Texas 78745, to the LCRA Transmission Services Corporation, a not-for- ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 profit company of the Lower Colorado River Authority for no cost in exchange for the release of the original approximately 0.646 acre (28,160 square feet) Electric Line Easement and Right of Way at the same location. Fiscal Note: This item has no fiscal impact. The motion to recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of all documents and instruments necessary or desirable to convey an approximately 0.55-acre (23,958 square feet) Electric Line Easement and Right of Way located at the Salem Walk Substation at the end of Salem Hill Drive, Austin, Texas 78745, to the LCRA Transmission Services Corporation, a not-for-profit company of the Lower Colorado River Authority, was recommended on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner’s Bellomy’s second on a 7-0 vote with Commissioners Alvarez and Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 7. Recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of a battery storage agreement with Balcones Ridge Resiliency II, LLC, a Jupiter Power subsidiary, for up to 200 megawatts of electrical power capacity from a utility-scale battery facility, in an estimated amount not to exceed $16,000,000 per year, for a term of up to 20 years, for a total agreement amount not to exceed $320,000,000. Funding: Contingent upon available funding in future budgets. The motion to recommend approval authorizing the negotiation and execution of a battery storage agreement with Balcones Ridge Resiliency II, LLC, a Jupiter Power subsidiary, was recommended on Chair Tuttle’s motion, Commissioner Gillett’s second on an 8-0 vote with Commissioner Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 8. Review and approve the Annual Internal Review of the Electric Utility Commission for July 2025 through June 2026. The motion to recommend approval of the Annual Internal Review of the Electric Utility Commission for July 2025 through June 2026 was recommended on Chair Tuttle’s motion, Commissioner Gillett’s second on a 7-0-1 vote with Commissioner White abstaining, Commissioner Benavides off the dais, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. STAFF BRIEFINGS 9. Staff Briefing on the implementation of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035 by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. The staff briefing on the implementation of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035 was presented by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer. 10. Staff Briefing on the FY 2026/27 Austin Energy Budget by John Davis, Director of Finance. The staff briefing on the FY 2026/27 Austin Energy Budget was presented by John Davis, Director of Finance. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 11. Discussion and possible action on a recommendation to require a separate public meeting on any rate increase proposed for FY2027 and to initiate a rate case process with FY2026 as the test year. (Sponsors: Reed, White) The motion approving the recommendation to require a separate public meeting on any rate increase proposed for FY2027 and to initiate a rate case process with FY2026 as the ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Monday, July 20, 2026 test year was approved on Commissioner Reed’s motion, Vice Chair Braden’s second on an 8-0-1 vote with Commissioner Gillett abstaining, Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. 12. Approve the creation of a working group focused on Local Solar + Battery permitting and installation processes. (Sponsors: Braden, Tuttle) The motion approving the creation of a working group focused on Local Solar + Battery permitting and installation processes was approved on Vice Chair Braden’s motion, Chair Tuttle’s second on a 9-0 vote with Commissioner Blackburn absent, and one vacancy. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS • Update if regulation to move from 4CP to 12CP is approved (2027) • AE’s analysis for a program to extend solar and batteries to MVR and CAP customers ADJOURNMENT Chair Tuttle adjourned the meeting at 8:04 p.m. without objection. The meeting minutes were approved at the August 10, 2026 meeting on Commissioner Kirksey’s motion, Commissioner Gillett’s second on a 7-0 vote, with Commissioner Alvarez, Reed, and White absent and one vacancy.