Nov 19, 2024 Austin Energy Utility Oversight Committee

UH, THIS POWER PROJECT WILL BE LOCATED NEAR OUR EXISTING NACODOCHES BIOMASS FACILITY.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR, VELA MAYOR COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

UH, I'M ACTUALLY, I HAVE A BUNCH OF STUFF I'M GONNA TALK TO YOU ABOUT THIS MORNING.

I'M VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THIS FIRST ONE, THE GEOTHERMAL PILOT PROJECT THAT YOU'VE PROBABLY SEEN ALL OF THE NEWSPAPERS THAT WE'RE BRAGGING ABOUT.

THIS IS JUST EVIDENCE OF US CONTINUING OUR LEADERSHIP IN, UH, ENERGY INNOVATION.

LAST WEEK WE ANNOUNCED A FIRST OF ITS KIND ADVANCED GEOTHERMAL PROJECT.

IT'S A FIVE MEGAWATT PROJECT IN PARTNERSHIP WITH X EXCEED GEO ENERGY TO BRING ADDITIONAL CARBON FREE ENERGY ONLINE.

NEXT YEAR.

IT WILL DO SO BY TAPPING INTO HEAT STORE.

DEEP UNDERGROUND, WE'RE GONNA GO DOWN TWO MILES.

THEY SAY IT'S GONNA TAKE ABOUT 45 DAYS.

WE'LL SEE THEN, THEN USING A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM WITH SUPER CRITICAL CO2 INSTEAD OF WATER AS THE HEAT TRANSFER FLUID TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.

WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY AND THE POTENTIAL TO SCALLOP ENERGY PRODUCTION, THIS GEOTHERMAL EFFORT WILL CHANGE THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE IN TEXAS AND CREATE A MORE RELIABLE PATHWAY TO A CLEANER GREENER GRID.

WHILE WE'RE ALREADY THE MOST ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE UTILITY IN TEXAS, FAR EXCEEDING STATEWIDE AND NATIONAL AVERAGES, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT ABOUT 70% CARBON FREE ERCOT IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY.

IT'S AT ABOUT 40%.

WE ALWAYS SEEK NEW WAYS TO PRODUCE CLEAN, RELIABLE ENERGY FOR THE GRID.

[00:05:01]

THE NEXT THING I WANNA TALK ABOUT IS AN AWARD WE RECEIVE FOR OUR GET READY.

I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS, THE GET READY STAY READY OUTAGE PREP CAMPAIGN.

AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, AUSTIN ENERGY PRODUCES A CAMPAIGN TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY GET READY AND STAY READY IN CASE OF AN UNEXPECTED OUTAGE.

THAT CAMPAIGN HAS HELPED BRING 140,000 NEW UNIQUE VISITORS TO OUR, OUR, OUR OUTAGE WEBPAGE.

AND IT'S ALSO INCREASED ENROLLMENT FOR OUTAGE ALERTS BY AT LEAST 65,000 CUSTOMERS.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE HAD ISSUES WITH WAS GETTING PEOPLE TO SIGN UP FOR TEXT MESSAGES WHEN THERE'S GONNA BE A PROBLEM.

SO WE HAVE 65,000 NEW CUSTOMERS OUT OF OUR 578,000 METERS SIGN UP.

THAT'S A PRETTY BIG PERCENTAGE.

SO THAT WORK HAS NOT GONE UNNOTICED.

ESOURCE, A UTILITIES FOCUSED CONSULTING RESEARCH AND DATA SCIENCE COMPANY RECENTLY AWARDED THIS CAMPAIGN, THE GET READY STAY READY CAMPAIGN FIRST PLACE AT THE UTILITY AD AWARDS.

SO THIS AWARD COMES AFTER ESOURCE BENCHMARKED OUR OUTAGE WEB PAGES AS NUMBER ONE, NUMBER ONE OUT OF 93 UTILITY WEBSITES IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA LAST YEAR.

AND THIS ISN'T JUST AGAINST OTHER MOUS, WHICH IS A BIG DEAL, BUT THIS IS ACROSS CO-OPS, THE BIG IOUS.

WE'RE NUMBER ONE OUTTA 93.

THAT IS SOMETHING WE REALLY NEED TO BE PROUD OF.

I'D LIKE TO PUBLICLY THANK OUR TEAM FOR CONTINUING TO PUT OUR CUSTOMERS AND COMMUNITY FIRST.

SO WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY? IT'S A BUSY TIME FOR AUSTIN AND ENERGY OUT IN THE COMMUNITY.

IN ADDITION TO THE STAKEHOLDER WORK WE'VE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST YEAR, PROBABLY ON THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN, WHICH YOU'RE GONNA HEAR MORE ABOUT LATER.

FROM LISA MARTIN AND LINDA RIFE, I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW COMING AND RECENT EVENTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE GOING ON.

FIRST, WE HAD OUR WINTER POPUP EVENTS AT OUR UTILITY CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTERS DECEMBER 5TH THROUGH SEVENTH.

CUSTOMERS CAN PICK UP SUPPLIES FOR THEIR EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS KITS AND WINTER PREPARATION TIP SHEETS.

SOME EXAMPLES ARE THEY GET SOLAR PHONE CHARGES, INSULATED COVERS FOR OUTDOOR FAUCETS AND COMPOSTING BAGS.

WE'RE DOING THESE EVENTS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AUSTIN WATER AND AUSTIN RESOURCE RECOVERY TO HELP COMMUNITY MEMBERS TAKE STEPS NOW TO PREPARE FOR THE WE WINTER SEASON.

THE SECOND THING WE'RE DOING IN THE COMMUNITY, WE JUST HAD THIS A A FEW WEEKS AGO, IS OUR COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS RESOURCE FAIR IS HELD IN LATE OCTOBER AND IT CONNECTS CUSTOMERS STRUGGLING TO MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS WITH RESOURCES IN THE COMMUNITY.

THERE WERE 144 VENDORS THAT WERE BROUGHT TOGETHER AND PROVIDED SUPPORT SERVICES AND INFORMATION IN ONE PLACE.

UH, SO SOME EXAMPLES OF SOME OF THE SERVICES THAT WE PROVIDED AT THIS FAIR WERE HEALTH, VISION AND BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENINGS, FOOD SERVICES AND HOUSING ASSISTANCE.

MORE THAN 25 CITY DEPARTMENTS STAFFING 50 BOOTHS WITH INFORMATION ABOUT CITY SERVICES WERE IN ONE PLACE FOR ALL THESE PEOPLE.

TO SEE NEARLY 1600 COMMUNITY MEMBERS PARTICIPATED IN THIS YEAR'S FAIR, MAKING IT THE MOST ATTENDED IN THE 12 YEAR HISTORY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.

THIS THIRD, THE ELECTRIC ELECTRIFY EXPO AT THE CIRCUIT OF AMERICAS.

ITS NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST ELECTRIC VEHICLES FESTIVAL.

IT PROMOTES E RIDES OF ALL KINDS ELECTRIC CARS, BIKES, MOTORCYCLES, SCOOTERS, AND EVEN WATERCRAFTS.

OUR ELECTRIC VEHICLE TEAM HAD A BOOTH THERE AND WAS PACKED FOR TWO DAYS.

UH, STAFF GOT TO TALK AND TO SHOW CUSTOMERS HOW EASY IT IS TO USE, UH, CHARGERS FOR THEIR CARS AND ENCOURAGING ATTENDEES TO CONSIDER ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION.

PART OF OUR ELE ELECTRIFICATION EFFORTS.

OVERALL.

TENANTS AT EXPO INCREASED BY 28% OVER THE LAST YEAR, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ONE DAY SHORTER.

FINALLY, ON DECEMBER 1ST, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE HOW HOLIDAY SEASON KICKOFF BY LIGHTING THE 58TH ANNUAL ZILKER HOLIDAY TREE.

EACH YEAR OUR CREWS TAKE PRIDE IN ASSEMBLING THE TREE WITH MORE THAN 3000 ENERGY EFFICIENT LIGHT BULBS AND JUST THE RIGHT WAY TO CREATE THE ICONIC SW PATTERN.

AND THAT'S GONNA REMAIN LIT UNTIL JANUARY 1ST.

SO, JUST A COUPLE MORE THINGS I WANNA MENTION.

SO BEFORE I FINISH MY REPORT, SO OVER THE YEARS, MANY OF YOU HAVE WORKED CLOSELY WITH ELTON RICHARDS, VICE PRESIDENT OF OUR ELECTRIC SYSTEMS FILLED OPERATIONS.

YOU KNOW WHAT AN ASSET HE IS FOR OUR UTILITY, OUR CITY, AND OUR COMMUNITY.

HE LET US KNOW THAT HE'S LEAVING ENERGY, AUSTIN ENERGY NEXT MONTH, AND I'D

[00:10:01]

LIKE TO THANK HIM FOR HIS DEDICATION, SERVICE AND JOB WELL DONE.

AND THE LAST THING I WANNA MENTION IS THIS IS CHAIR POOL'S LAST OFFICIAL MEETING AS CHAIR OF THIS COMMITTEE.

AND I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR GUIDING HAND DURING THE TIME YOU'VE BEEN THE CHAIR.

THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. CONN.

AND, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO ELTON.

UM, ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT.

I HEAR IT'S, IT'S, UH, A GREAT, IT'S A GREAT NEW ROLE.

I'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO THAT.

I THINK WE ALL TRY .

LET'S SEE.

UM, THE NEXT ITEM.

YES, I HAD A QUESTION IF I MIGHT.

OH, SURE.

UH, FIRE AWAY PLEASE.

A QUESTION.

I JUST WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UM, WITH THE GEOTHERMAL YES.

AND SORT OF WHEN THAT WILL COME ONLINE AND HOW YOU SEE THAT HELPING WITH SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE, UM, BEEN TALKING ABOUT IN THE GEN PLAN? YES.

IT'S, IT'S GONNA COME ONLINE SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.

IT'S FIVE MEGAWATTS, WHICH IS, WHICH IS SMALL.

YOU KNOW, OUR PEAK LOAD WAS A LITTLE OVER 3,100 MEGAWATTS THIS YEAR.

IT'S A PILOT PROJECT.

UM, WE THINK IT'S GONNA BE VERY PROMISING AND IF IT DOES WORK, UM, AND WE'LL WAIT TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHEN THEY START SENDING US POWER, WE PLAN TO EXPAND IT AND YOU KNOW, IT'S FREE FUEL, RIGHT? IT'S FREE FUEL AND IT'S CARBON FREE.

AND, AND SO THAT GOES ALONG WITH OUR GENERATION RESOURCE PLAN.

AND SO, UM, WHAT, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING IT DOES WORK, YES.

WHAT IS THE EXPECTED CAPACITY THAT WE COULD BUILD OUT IN THAT AREA? I ACTUALLY DO NOT KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION.

IT'S THE PILOT IS FIVE MEGAWATTS.

UM, BUT I THINK WE'LL JUST HAVE TO SEE HOW THAT WORKS AND, AND GO FROM THERE.

I DON'T KNOW IF LISA HAS AN ANSWER TO THAT.

WE CAN ALWAYS GET BACK WITH YOU ON THAT, THAT QUESTION LOOKS LIKE STAFF'S COMING UP THERE.

MICHAEL LANGER, VICE PRESIDENT ENERGY MARKET OPERATIONS AND RESOURCE PLANNING.

UH, THERE IS CURRENTLY LAND LEASED OUT IN THAT AREA THAT WE BELIEVE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DO UP TO 400 MEGAWATTS OF GEOTHERMAL.

UM, 'CAUSE IT'S IN A GOOD PART OF THE STATE WITH GOOD HEAT.

AND THEN THERE'S ADDITIONAL LAND IN OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE THAT COULD EVEN GO EVEN LARGER.

SO THAT'S, IT'S A VERY LARGE POTENTIAL, VERY LARGE OPPORTUNITY IF THIS IS SUCCESSFUL.

AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THE LAND IS LEASED? WE ALREADY LEASE IT OR NO, THE DEVELOPER THAT IS WORKING ON THIS HAS, HAS LEASED LAND UP AND AROUND THE AREA.

UM, AND IS, UM, AND IN THE AUSTIN AREA IS GEOTHERMAL POSSIBLE GIVEN OUR, SO IT IS GEOGRAPH POSSIBLE IN THE AUSTIN AREA.

YOU HAVE TO GO EVEN DEEPER.

UM, 'CAUSE IT'S, YOU HAVE TO GO DEEPER TO GET TO THE HEAT IN ORDER TO, TO MAKE IT WORK.

AND SO THAT JUST ADDS AN ADDITIONAL COST.

UM, AND SO IT, IT COULD POTENTIALLY GET TO THE AUSTIN AREA AT SOME POINT, BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT WE'RE GONNA TARGET EARLY ON.

UM, AND THEN I ALSO WANTED TO JUST, UH, THANK ELTON FOR HIS WORK.

I'VE WORKED WITH HIM OFTEN OVER THE YEARS AND, AND I'VE APPRECIATED, UH, WORKING WITH HIM.

SO THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MR. KAHAN? YES.

COUNCIL MEMBER.

ARE THERE OTHER, UM, I KNOW THAT, THAT THERE ARE GEOTHERMAL PLANTS GLOBALLY.

UH, I THINK, UH, IF I'M REMEMBERING CORRECTLY, ICELAND I THINK IS MOST OF ITS, UH, ELECTRICITY FROM GEOTHERMAL.

RIGHT? BUT IN TERMS OF TEXAS AND THE UNITED STATES, ARE THERE EXAMPLES OF LARGE SCALE, UH, GEOTHERMAL PLANTS IN OPERATION? I KNOW THAT THIS IS A FIRST OF ITS KIND IN TEXAS.

UH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

MIKE, DO YOU WANNA ? UM, THERE IS A, A RESEARCH PROJECT IN TEXAS DOWN HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AT THE SOUTHWEST EASTERN INSTITUTE FOR GEOTHERMAL.

AND SAM MCGILL HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED, UH, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF GEOTHERMAL THEY'RE LOOKING TO DEVELOP.

THERE IS GEOTHERMAL IN THE UNITED STATES.

UH, IT IS DONE MOSTLY THROUGH WATER, AND IT'S GENERALLY OUT, UH, IN THE WEST AND NORTHWEST WHERE YOU HAVE GEYSERS AND YOU HAVE HEAT CLOSER UP TO THE SURFACE.

UM, SO THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST OF VIS COUNTY IN TEXAS, AND THEN YES, YOU'RE CORRECT.

THERE IS GEOTHERMAL THROUGHOUT THE, THE, THE GLOBE, UH, MAINLY IN ICELAND WHERE THEY DO HAVE THAT HEAT VERY, VERY CLOSE TO THE SURFACE.

AND SO THEY'RE ABLE TO UTILIZE WATER AND GEYSERS TO PRODUCE ELECTRICITY.

BUT I GUESS, UH, THE PILOT PROJECT IS NOTABLE JUST BECAUSE IT'S GOING SO DEEP TO GET THE HEAT.

UH, IT'S AN ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM THAT USES SUPER CRITICAL CO2 MM-HMM.

, A LOT OF THE GEOTHERMAL THAT WE'VE SEEN OUT AROUND THE PLANET USES WATER.

UM, AND SO, AND, AND NOT NECESSARILY A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM, IT MIGHT JUST RUN WATER THROUGH A FRACK ROCKS TO, TO PRODUCE THE HEAT AND THE STEAM.

AND SO THIS IS A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT WITH THAT CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM AS, AS WELL AS USING, UH, SUPER CRITICAL CO2.

UH, GREAT.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, HEARING MORE ABOUT IT AND, AND APPRECIATE

[00:15:01]

THE INITIATIVE.

NOW TO, UM, A STAFF BRIEFING AND PROCESS UPDATE ON THE GEN PLAN, THE RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN.

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? THANKS SO MUCH MR. KHAN.

APPRECIATE YOUR REPORT.

WE WILL MOVE

[4. Staff briefing and process update on the Resource, Generation, and Climate Protection Plan by Lisa Martin, Deputy General Manager and Chief Operating Officer and Lynda Rife, President of Rifeline.]

THIS WILL BE LISA MARTIN, DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER AND AND COO AND LINDA RE, PRESIDENT OF RIF LINE.

AND AS WE BEGIN TODAY'S BRIEFING, I WANNA, I WANNA START, UH, WITH AN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE 40 COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS PROCESS.

UM, IT'S AN IMPRESSIVE GROUP.

THEY REPRESENT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH THEIR ORGANIZATIONS, AND IT'S A BROAD SWATH OF ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS.

IF YOU ARE A STAKEHOLDER WHO PARTICIPATED AND YOU ARE HERE TODAY, COULD YOU STAND TO BE RECOGNIZED? YOUR CONTRIBUTION HAS BEEN INCREDIBLE AND MUCH APPRECIATED.

THANKS FOR VOLUNTEERING YOUR TIME AND GIVING VITAL.

WHO'S ON THE, UH, PHONE? THAT'S IT.

IT'S RYAN COUNCILMAN.

CAN CAN YOU TURN YOUR QUENTES AND I CAN, ARE YOU ABLE TO HEAR ME? WE CAN'T SEE YOU, BUT WE CAN HEAR YOU.

ARE YOU ABLE TO TURN ON YOUR CAMERA COUNCIL MEMBER? ALTER RYAN ALTER? UH, WELL, I AM, I'M AT A, A RED LIGHT, SO I GUESS I CAN DO THAT TECHNICALLY.

, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES AND I FLEW IN IN THIS MORNING TO BE HERE FOR THE GEN PLAN DISCUSSION.

UH, WE DID NOT KNOW THAT WE WOULD NOT BE TAKING PUBLIC SPEAKERS AHEAD OF TIME.

WE ARE BOTH EN ROUTE.

I KNOW THERE'S ANOTHER BRIEFING FROM AUSTIN ENERGY.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO GET THAT ONE FIRST SO THAT WE CAN BE PRESENT FOR THIS DISCUSSION? I'M LOOKING AROUND HERE FOR FOLKS WHO ARE WAITING TO MAKE THEIR COMMENTS AND PRESENTATIONS.

I DON'T SEE ANY DISAGREEMENT WITH THAT.

CAN YOU GIVE US AN ETA PLEASE? FIVE MINUTES.

OH, OKAY.

WELL, WHY DON'T WE, UM, LET ME FINISH MY, UH, THANK YOU REMARKS TO OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND, UH, THEN WE WILL THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, AND, UM, HOPEFULLY YOU WILL.

THANK YOU ALL.

GET HERE, UH, QUICKLY, UH, AGAIN, I WANNA THANK ALL OF THE PEOPLE FROM OUR COMMUNITY WHO PARTICIPATED AND VOLUNTEERED THEIR TIME AND GAVE VITAL FEEDBACK ON AUSTIN'S RESOURCE GEN PLAN.

THE PLAN'S BETTER TODAY.

AS YOU ALL KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A BIG SHIFT IN THE FOCUS OF THE PLAN SINCE WE BEGAN THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT A YEAR AGO TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS.

YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE IN OUR COMMUNITY.

AND I ALSO WANNA THANK AUSTIN ENERGY AND MY COLLEAGUES ON THIS DAAS FOR DIGGING IN TO TRY TO FIND A WAY TO MOVE THROUGH SOME PRETTY DENSE UNDERBRUSH AND PRETTY TECHNICAL, UH, CONVERSATIONS IN UNDERSTANDING WHAT WE ARE FACED WITH, RECOGNIZING THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE, UH, THAT WE WILL BE FACING IN THE FUTURE.

AND, UH, GETTING OURSELVES PREPARED AND LINKING ARMS ACROSS THIS COMMUNITY TO DO THIS IN CONCERT.

BECAUSE FRANKLY, GIVEN WHAT WE WILL BE FACING IN THE FUTURE, LITERALLY, UH, I THINK THE ONLY WAY WE WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE PROGRESS IS IF WE DO THIS AS A COMMUNITY STANDING TOGETHER AND SUPPORTING ONE ANOTHER, UM, IN THIS EFFORT.

SO, THANK YOU.

UH, LET'S SEE.

WE WERE ACTUALLY NOT GOING TO, UH, TAKE THE FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS AND OPERATIONS HIGHLIGHTS BRIEFING TODAY IN RECOGNITION OF THE AMOUNT OF TIME WE WERE GOING TO BE SPENDING, UM, ON THE GEN PLAN.

AND SO STAFF IS NOT PREPARED TO MAKE THOSE BRIEFINGS, IS MY UNDERSTANDING.

UM, LET'S DO THAT.

THANK YOU, MAYOR.

UM, WE WILL RECESS FOR THIS MEETING FOR 10 MINUTES TO AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF OUR COLLEAGUES.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, AND COUNCIL MEMBER VANESSA FUENTES.

WE ARE IN RECESS AT 9 25.

WE WILL BE BACK AT 9 35.

THANK YOU ALL.

ALL RIGHT, EVERYBODY, WE ARE RECONVENING FROM OUR RECESS.

IT IS 9 35, AND, UH, WE HAVE, UH, LET'S SEE, UH, READY TO GO.

PODIUM, UH, TO MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THE, UH, GEN PLAN.

SO, UM, MS. MARTIN, WE WILL, UH, BRING YOU BACK UP TO THE

[00:20:01]

THANKS FOR BEING HERE TODAY.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOLE, VICE CHAIR VELA AND COMMITTEE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR.

I'M LISA MARTIN, AUSTIN ENERGY'S CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, HERE TO PROVIDE YOU THE LATEST UPDATE ON OUR RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN TO 2035.

SO I'VE USED THIS SLIDE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT IT'S A GREAT REMINDER TO ME TO TAKE A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING TO BUILD A BRIDGE.

WE'RE WORKING TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE FULFILL OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.

AND IT TAKES A LOT OF PEOPLE TO BUILD A BRIDGE AND TO DO IT RIGHT.

AND SO THANK YOU TO ALL THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING TO RECOGNIZE THE, THE, UH, STAKEHOLDER GROUP, UM, ALSO TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION, ALL THE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF AND EVERYONE WHO'S SHOWN AN INTEREST IN THE WORK THAT WE'VE DONE.

AND WHAT THIS BRIDGE LOOKS LIKE DEPENDS ON THE WORK THAT WE ARE DOING TODAY.

UM, AND SO I'M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT ALL THE EFFORT THAT WE'VE PUT INTO THIS, AND I'M HAPPY TO PRESENT TO YOU ESSENTIALLY THE CULMINATION OF THE WORK.

IF I WERE TO SUMMARIZE THE MISSION OF THE 2035 PLAN IN A SINGLE SENTENCE, IT WOULD BE WHAT YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN HERE.

WE HAVE TO MEET AUSTIN'S RISING ENERGY NEEDS WHILE ENABLING AN EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY TRANSITION THAT REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITY'S VALUES, THE COMMUNITY VALUES, RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

AND GETTING THERE TAKES A LOT OF HARD WORK AND CONSIDERING CONSIDERATION OF TRADE-OFFS, WE WANNA START WITH WHAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE.

WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR MONTHS IN VARIOUS WAYS, AND OF COURSE IT'S A PRETTY COMPLEX PROBLEM.

UM, AND SO IT'S HARD TO SUMMARIZE IT ON A SINGLE SLIDE, BUT WE DO OUR BEST HERE AND YOU'LL SEE THINGS THAT YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH.

SO CERTAINLY THERE ARE, UM, INCREASES IN EXTREME WEATHER, AND THERE'S, UH, THE RISK OF, OF ADDITIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND CLIMATE RISK THAT IS, UM, EXACERBATING THE PROBLEMS. WE HAVE GROWTH IN POPULATION, BUT ALSO GROWTH IN THE FORM OF THINGS LIKE DATA CENTERS AND AI, UM, GROWTH IN ELECTRIFICATION, SO MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC APPLIANCES.

WE'VE ALSO RECENTLY RETIRED SOME LOCAL GENERATION.

AND THEN THERE'S A LOT OF ERCOT MARKET CHANGES THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT TIME AND AGAIN, THAT ARE CREATING PRICE AND RELIABILITY ISSUES AND FINANCIAL RISK.

IF I WERE TO TELL IT IN THE FORM OF A STORYLINE, IT WOULD SOUND A LITTLE BIT LIKE THIS.

SO IF YOU START WITH WHERE THE PLAN, THE LAST PLAN, THE PLAN THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER WAS ADOPTED, THAT WAS IN MARCH OF 2020, SO JUST FOUR YEARS AGO, BUT A VERY, VERY DIFFERENT ENERGY LANDSCAPE THAN WE HAVE TODAY.

UM, AND SO A NUMBER OF THINGS HAVE HAPPENED SINCE THAT TIME, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE EMBARKING ON A PLAN TO 2035 NOW.

UM, ONE OF THE COMMITMENTS OF THE PLAN TO 2030 WAS TO RETIRE SOME OF OUR EXISTING GENERATION.

THE DECKER STEAM UNITS WERE OLDER GENERATION, AND IT WAS TIME TO RETIRE THEM.

WE RETIRED THE FIRST ONE AFTER THE SUMMER OF 2020.

THAT WAS 300 MEGAWATTS OF LOCAL GENERATION THAT WAS RETIRED.

AND THEN THAT NEXT WINTER WE HAD WINTER STORM URI, AND WE KNOW WHAT, WHAT THAT PUT, UH, DID TO OUR COMMUNITY AND, AND THE FEAR THAT IT PUT INSIDE OF EVERYBODY.

IT ALSO CREATED SIGNIFICANT ERCOT MARKET CHANGES AND INCREASED, UM, ENERGY COSTS.

WE WERE ORIGINALLY SLATED TO SHUT DOWN THE SECOND DECKER STEAM UNIT AFTER THE SUMMER OF 21, BUT HAVING JUST GONE THROUGH WINTER STORM URI, WE WANTED TO KEEP IT TO MAKE SURE WE COULD GET THROUGH THE NEXT WINTER.

AND SO WE ENDED UP RETIRING IT AFTER THE WINTER IN 2022 IN MARCH.

AND SO, UM, THAT WAS AN ADDITIONAL 425 MEGAWATTS, RETIRED IN TOTAL, 725 MEGAWATTS OF LOCAL GENERATION.

IT WAS 50% OF THE GENERATION WE HAD LOCALLY WITHIN THE AUSTIN SERVICE AREA.

AFTER RETIRING THAT UNIT, UH, WE STARTED SEEING, AND THIS WAS ALSO AROUND THE TIME WHEN IT WAS, WAS HARDER AND HARDER TO BRING IN, UM, UH, RENEWABLES FROM OTHER PARTS OF TEXAS.

UM, INCREASED CONGESTION ON THE LINES.

AND WE STARTED SEEING THOSE COSTS.

IM IMPACTING OUR CUSTOMERS.

IN 2022, CONGESTION COSTS WERE EQUIVALENT OF $135 MILLION.

AND IN 2023, IT WAS ANOTHER $150 MILLION.

UM, AND THOSE ARE COSTS THAT GET PASSED DIRECTLY TO OUR CUSTOMERS, AND THEY REALLY DON'T GET ANYTHING IN RETURN FOR IT.

THEY'RE JUST, IT'S LIKE TAKING THE TOLL LANE ON MOPAC BECAUSE YOU, YOU CAN'T, UH, YOU KNOW, SIT IN THE REGULAR TRAFFIC.

YOU CAN'T GET WHERE YOU NEED TO GO ANY OTHER WAY.

UM, AND SO THAT'S ALSO THE ERUPT MARKET TELLING US THAT THERE'S LOCAL RELIABILITY ISSUES AND AN INCREASED RISK OF OUTAGES.

UM, THAT TRANSMISSION AND CONGESTION, OF COURSE, COMES AT AN EXTREME COST.

AND THEN WE ALSO ARE IN THE FACE OF RISING, UH, DEMAND AND ENERGY USAGE, UM, FOR SOME OF IT'S, FOR GREAT REASONS, LIKE MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

UM, BUT WE, UH, NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PREPARING FOR THAT GROWTH.

SO IT'S NOT ANY ONE PARTICULAR EVENT THAT PUT US WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

A LOT OF THINGS HAVE CHANGED AND CREATED THE CURRENT STATE WHERE WE NEED TO, TO SET BACK RESET AND FIGURE OUT WHAT'S OUR PLAN TO 2035 TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, UM, IN THE BEST WAY.

AND IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO.

WE HAVE TO ADAPT TO THE CHANGING ENERGY LANDSCAPE.

[00:25:01]

WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE EXPAND UPON THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ALL OF OUR PREVIOUS RESOURCE GENERATION PLANS, BUT WE NEED TO DO THIS IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL WAY TO, UH, PROVIDE TO OUR CUSTOMERS AND OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, AND RELIABLE ENERGY.

WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT OFF TO LINDA RIF TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP.

THE IMPACTS OF ADAGES DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

I HAD THE HONOR OF WORKING WITH THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP, UM, THAT YOU HONORED EARLIER.

THANK YOU, UM, CHAIR POOL VERY MUCH FOR DOING THAT.

THEY SPENT A LOT OF HOURS HERE.

WE ACTUALLY ENDED UP WITH FIVE WORKSHOPS, UM, TO HEAR FROM A GROUP OF DIVERSE VOICES, UM, ON A RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

AND YOU'RE GONNA HEAR, UH, SOME RESULTS OF THEIR WORK.

SO THE FIRST MEETING WAS IN JUNE.

THE LAST MEETING WAS LAST WEDNESDAY.

SO, UH, OVER THE COURSE OF THE WHOLE PLAN DEVELOPMENT, THEY WERE PART OF IT.

AS YOU TALKED ABOUT, THIS CAME FROM A DI DIVERSE GROUP OF, UM, ORGANIZATIONS.

WE, UH, RAN THOSE, WE GOT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS FROM SOME PEOPLE THAT WE KNEW, BUT WE ALSO ASKED ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS IF THEY HAD PEOPLE THAT WERE INTERESTED IN RELIABILITY, ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY OR AFFORDABILITY.

AND CREATED, WORKED ON THAT AS WELL AS THE EUC.

SO WE TRIED TO GATHER AS MUCH INPUT AS POSSIBLE.

AFTER YOU LOOK AT ALL FIVE WORKSHOPS, WE HAD JELLYBEAN GAMES, WE TALKED ABOUT SMORES.

WE'VE DONE ALL SORTS OF FUN THINGS, BUT THESE ARE SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS.

RELIABILITY IS THE COMMUNITY'S TOP PRIORITY.

IT DOESN'T MEAN IT NEEDS TO BE PERFECT.

UM, NONE OF THE THREE, UM, STANDARDS GOT A FIVE, BUT IT DID COME OUT ON TOP IN A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS.

EQUITY CONTINUES TO BE A MAJOR THEME, AND AUSTIN ENERGY HAS ADDED THAT TO THEIR VALUES.

WE HEARD THAT A LOT.

DECISIONS MADE FROM THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN WILL NEED TO MINIMIZE RISK AND MAXIMIZE BENEFITS FOR THE ERHART MARKET MARKET.

AUSTIN ENERGY IS FACING A TOUGH BALANCE BETWEEN ALL THE NEEDS.

AND THE WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN A REAL EYE-OPENER.

OVERALL, A GOOD PROCESS.

THOSE ARE ACTUALLY WORDS THAT WE HEARD FROM OUR STAKEHOLDERS.

AND THEN THE, WE RAN LAST WEDNESDAY, THE VALUES, OBJECTIVES, THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE PLAN AND SOME TOOLKIT CONCEPTS.

AND, UM, IN GENERAL, THERE WAS, UH, THE RIGHT APPROACH.

THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT ELSE NEEDED TO BE ADDED TO PLAN AND WHAT NEEDED TO BE TAKEN OUT OF THE PLAN.

SO WE DID HEAR THOSE AS WELL.

UM, THE KEY TAKEAWAYS, DR. WEBER SPOKE TO US ON WORKSHOP TWO, JUST AS A REMINDER, WE'RE IN AN UNPRECEDENTED ELECTRIC ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION.

WE'RE SIMULTANEOUSLY EXPANDING AND DECARBONIZING.

UM, WE HAVE TO WORK ON BOTH THE SUPPLY AND DEMAND SIDE OF THOSE EQUATIONS.

UM, DO YOUR BEST, CLEAN UP THE REST.

AND THEN AUSTIN ENERGY HAS, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE FINANCIAL HEALTH OF THE UTILITY, WHICH BENEFITS ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY 'CAUSE WE ALL KNOW THAT THAT HELPS OUR BUDGET OUT.

AND THEN THE KEY LENS THROUGH WHICH ENERGY OPTIONS SHOULD BE CONSIDERED IS TRADE-OFFS.

HENCE, WE GOT INTO THIS MORE DOCUMENTS, UM, WHERE THE VALUE STATEMENTS ARE THE WORDS THAT YOU SEE IN YELLOW OR BLUE IN THE ENERGY EQUITY ONE ARE WORDS THAT CAME OUT OF WORKSHOPS ONE AND TWO, UH, AND THREE.

UM, ON, ON WORKSHOP FOUR, WE ACTUALLY PROVIDED SOME STATEMENTS TO THE WORKSHOP.

UH, INDIVIDUALS THERE GOT FEEDBACK AND THEN UPDATED THESE TO REFLECT THEIR CONCERNS.

SO ONE, RELIABILITY, A VALUE STATEMENT THAT IS A MAJOR DRIVER IN THIS PLAN IS PROVIDING CONSISTENT AND PREDICTABLE ELECTRIC SERVICES THAT WILL POWER OUR COMMUNITY AS IT CONTINUES TO GROW.

AFFORDABILITY, ASSESSING THE IMPACTS AND PROMOTING FAIRNESS OF COSTS FOR CUSTOMERS WHILE CONTINUING TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC POWER BENEFITS, THEN ENHANCE OUR COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE.

AND THEN MAINTAINING FLEXIBILITY IN SUPPORT OF CLEAN AND INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES AND PRO PROGRAMS. WHILE TAKING A HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IN NEW IS ENERGY EQUITY, EVALUATING, EXPANDING ACCESS TO THE SERVICES ARID ENERGY PROVIDES SO THEY CAN REACH THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST, WHILE REDUCING THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF OUR OPERATION ON THE COMMUNITY.

WE DID THE EXACT SAME THING WITH THE UPDATED OBJECTIVES ON RELIABLE ABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

THESE ARE THE OBJECTIVES THAT WILL DRIVE THAT PLAN.

THE, WE TOOK THE WORDS AGAIN IN YELLOW.

WE PROVIDED THE FEED, WE DRAFTED THEM, OR AUSTIN ENERGY DRAFTED THEM, PROVIDED FEEDBACK, AND THEN THIS IS WHERE WE ENDED UP.

SO AGAIN, UM, YOU'LL START SEEING ABOUT THE, UH, LIMITED EXPOSURE OF VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, LIMIT IMPACT OF BILL INCREASES, REDUCE EMISSIONS, AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

SO IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF TRADE-OFFS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN WITH ALL THREE OF THOSE.

UM, THE NEXT THING I'M GONNA DO IS SHOW A VIDEO HERE OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS.

SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT WORKED GENERATION PLAN WORKSHOPS AND INVITED STAKEHOLDERS FROM KEY COMMUNITY GROUPS, STAKEHOLDERS LEARNED THE BASICS OF BUILDING A GENERATION PLAN, ASSESSING RISK TOLERANCE, AND HOW TO BALANCE AFFORDABILITY, RELIABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

COMMUNITY

[00:30:01]

STAKEHOLDERS HEARD FROM INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS ABOUT THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE AUSTIN ENERGY IS FACING, AND HOW OUR UTILITY FUNCTIONS WITHIN THOSE SYSTEMS. EVERYTHING FROM ERCOT TO TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION TO OUR OWN EMPLOYEES ON OUR CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FOR THE MEDICALLY VULNERABLE.

AUSTIN ENERGY IS DOING BETTER AT LISTENING TO THE MESSAGES THAT WE CONVEYED HERE AT THESE WORKSHOPS.

IT WAS GOOD TO SEE THAT THEY ARE MAKING EVERY EFFORT TO IMPROVE THEIR, THEIR CUSTOMER PROGRAMS. MY DISTRICT AND DISTRICT THREE AND DISTRICT FOUR HAVE POPULATIONS OF MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES AND PEOPLE OF COLOR THAT REALLY NEED MORE INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROCESS.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS HAVE UNIQUE INSIGHTS INTO THEIR OWN NEEDS AND CONCERNS, WHICH HELPS US CRAFT SOLUTIONS THAT TRULY RESONATE.

RELIABILITY IS A LIFE AND DEATH SITUATION.

AM OR PM THERE A LOT OF PEOPLE RELY ON OXYGEN, ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIRS, UH, .

OTHER MEANS THAT HAVE BECOME MORE AND MORE MANUFACTURED.

AUTOMATION.

EVERYTHING PLUGS IN IN MY HOUSE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS, THAT WE ARE PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER WHEN WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS.

AND THAT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, LIKE WE'RE IN THE SITUATION WE ARE WITH CLIMATE CHANGE BECAUSE IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN, THERE'VE BEEN ALL THESE REASONS THAT, UM, CONTINUING TO USE POLLUTING ENERGY SOURCES HAS BEEN CONVENIENT OR AFFORDABLE OR HELPED WITH THE RELIABILITY OR WHATEVER.

UM, AND NOW WE'RE LIKE UP AGAINST, YOU KNOW, CATASTROPHIC CLIMATE CHANGE.

AND I, I DON'T USE THAT TERM LIGHTLY.

WE ARE ALREADY A NATIONAL LEADER WITH REGARD TO THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE BY AUSTIN ENERGY.

AND SO FOR US, LISTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT AT THE SAME LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY IS SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE'S ALREADY A GOOD JOB.

OUR NUMBERS FOR AFFORDABILITY WE'RE 8.6, RELIABILITY NINE, AND ENVIRONMENTAL 7.2.

UH, WE BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE DEFINITION OF RE RELIABILITY SIMILAR TO THE FIRST GROUP THAT SPOKE.

AND BASICALLY, FOR MOST PEOPLE, RELIABILITY IS A NUMBER ONE THING.

I THINK WE'RE ALL TRIGGERED BY URI AND THE, AND IF THAT HADN'T HAPPENED, MAYBE OUR NUMBERS WOULD BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT, UH, AN OUTAGE BEING AN HOUR VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THREE OR FOUR DAYS LIKE THAT WAS, I DO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE CAPTURING AT SOME POINT IN THIS, THE IMPACT ON, WE TALK ABOUT MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT WE REALLY TALK ABOUT THE SMALL BUSINESS AND LOCAL OPERATORS WHO ARE TRYING TO SUSTAIN EVERY DAY, UH, AND JUST MAKE THE TACOS AND DO THE THINGS THE RIGHT WAY, BUT ALSO WITH RISING HEALTHCARE COSTS THAT ARE AT 1720 2% INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR.

SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INCLUDING THE DISCUSSION WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES THAT WE'RE INCLUDING ARE SMALL AS OUR CHAMBER CALLS OF MOM AND MOM AND POP AND POP SHOPS, UH, THAT, THAT THEY ARE PART OF THAT DISCUSSION AS WELL.

THE GOAL IS FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS TO LEAD TO COMMUNITY SUPPORTED GOALS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY BE CONSIDERED BY CITY COUNCIL.

WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S COLLABORATIVE SPIRIT DURING THESE WORKSHOPS.

WE THANK EVERYONE WHO TOOK PART IN THESE WORKSHOPS TO HELP SHAPE UPRIGHT, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR A COMMUNITY TOGETHER.

AS YOU CAN HEAR, WE HEARD LOTS OF VOICES, LOTS OF DIVERSITY, UM, LOTS OF OPINIONS AND TRADE-OFFS.

THERE'S JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF IN INPUT INTO SEEING WHAT HAPPENED AND HOW WE GOT HERE.

SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

VALUES AND WHAT ARE YOUR OBJECTIVES? IT'S WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT THAT? AND SO I'M CALLING THAT THE TOOLKIT TODAY, UM, TO HELP MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE ACCESSIBLE, REALLY, UM, THE TOOLKIT, THINK ABOUT IT AS, AS WHAT TOOLS ARE YOU PUTTING IN YOUR TOOLKIT TO, UH, PREPARE, PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY AND HELP YOU MANAGE THE TRADE-OFFS AND THE CHANGING CONDITIONS THAT WE ANTICIPATE WE WILL EXPECT OVER THE, UM, NEXT 10 YEARS.

THANK YOU LINDA.

UM, SO AS YOU HAVE HEARD, AND YOU KNOW THAT WE HAVE, UM, HAD GREAT INVOLVEMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY, WE'VE ALSO BROUGHT IN A LOT OF, UM, EXPERT, UH, INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS TO HELP SUPPORT OUR PROCESS AND ANSWER QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT'S SUMMARIZED HERE ON THIS SLIDE.

AND THEN THERE WAS A LOT OF ANALYSIS, UM, THANKS TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF.

WE SPENT MANY, MANY HOURS GOING THROUGH MANY MODELS AND DATA.

YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THAT.

UM, I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE CERTAINLY VERY INTERESTED IN THAT.

THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THAT EFFORT WAS TO REALLY DIG DEEP TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE TRADE-OFFS ARE OF THE VARIOUS APPROACHES THAT WE CAN USE TO SOLVE AND MEET OUR FUTURE ENERGY NEEDS.

AND WE LOOKED AT DOZENS AND DOZENS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO DO THAT.

SO UNDERSTANDING TRADE-OFFS AND LOOKING AT A RESOURCE PLAN NEEDS.

AND SO WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY MEAN IN TERMS OF A RESOURCE PLAN? WELL, THE RESOURCE PLANS MADE UP OF THREE MAJOR THINGS.

THE FIRST IS THE VALUES, AND THE SECOND IS THE OBJECTIVES.

AND THOSE ARE COME, COME FROM THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE COMMUNITY.

THEY'RE INFORMED BY THE COMMUNITY'S STORIES AND THEIR, UH, THE, WHAT THEY'VE SHARED WITH US DURING THE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS.

UM, AND ALSO ARE CHECKING IN WITH THEM TO SEEING IF WE HEARD THEM CORRECTLY.

UM, AND THEN YOU CAN'T JUST STOP WITH WHAT ARE YOUR

[00:35:01]

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS FRAMEWORK ALIGNS WITH, UH, THE GUIDANCE THAT WE RECEIVED FROM DR. WEBER WHO SAID THAT EFFECTIVE POLICY DESIGN KEEPS TRADE-OFFS IN MIND AND IS RATHER THAN PRESCRIPTIVE.

SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT TOOLKIT, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? THERE ARE FOUR MAJOR CATEGORIES THAT WE PUT INTO THOSE TOOLKIT THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MEET OUR CURRENT DAY CHALLENGES AND TO HELP US REACH OUR ULTIMATE CLEAN ENERGY GOALS.

UM, AND THE ORDER IS IMPORTANT.

UH, SO WE START AT THE TOP.

WE PRIORITIZE CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS FIRST, AND THEN WE LAYER IN ADDITIONAL LOCAL ENERGY SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE THE RISKS, UM, THAT ARE REMAINING.

UM, WE ALSO WANNA CONTINUE TO, UH, OUR, OUR GOOD WORK ON THE PATH TO ACHIEVING DECARBONIZATION.

IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE FOSTER A CULTURE OF INNOVATION SO THAT WE'RE POSITIONED TO ADOPT EMERGING TECH AS IT HELPS US FURTHER OUR GOALS.

IF WE BROKE THAT DOWN A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, UM, YOU SEE THAT THERE'S A MYRIAD OF TOOLS THAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO PUT IN THE TOOLBOX, UM, TO HELP US FIX THINGS, MITIGATE RISK, MAKE THINGS BETTER.

SO THIS IS KIND OF AN ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX APPROACH.

UM, LET'S WALK THROUGH IT.

PRIORITIZING CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS IS FIRST, THAT'S ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE THE PROGRAMS LIKE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE.

THE BEST WAY TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS IS TO NOT HAVE TO PROVIDE THEM POWER TO BEGIN WITH BECAUSE THEY DON'T NEED IT.

'CAUSE THEY'VE GOT EFFICIENT AND COMFORTABLE HOMES, UM, IN PLACES TO WORK.

UM, IT ALSO INCLUDES THINGS LIKE, UH, REALLY, REALLY LOCAL SOLUTIONS LIKE ROOFTOP SOLAR AND CUSTOMER SIDED BATTERIES.

UM, THEN WHEN YOU, WE, WE WANTED TO MAX THAT OUT.

WE WANNA DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN THIS AREA.

SO WE HIRED A THIRD PARTY TO SAY, ASSESS WHAT THE POTENTIAL IS.

AND ONCE YOU PUT ALL THAT IN AND WE DO THE FURTHER ANALYSIS, YOU STILL NEED MORE TO HELP MITIGATE THE CURRENT DAY RELIABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY RISKS AND TO WORK ON OUR WAY TOWARDS OUR DECARBONIZATION GOALS.

AND SO THAT'S WHERE YOU LAYER IN ADDITIONAL LOCAL SOLUTIONS.

UM, THINGS LIKE WORK ON TRANSMISSION IMPORT CAPACITY, SO WE CAN BRING IN MORE POWER THAT IS CLEAN FROM OTHER PARTS OF THE STATE.

UM, IT ALSO INCLUDES THINGS LIKE UTILITY SCALE BATTERIES AND MORE EFFICIENT PEAKER UNITS THAT WOULD BE USED ONLY WHEN NEEDED.

UM, AND, AND WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AS PART OF A LOCAL SOLUTION, WE HAVE BLACK START, UH, STATUS AS A UTILITY.

I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.

UM, WE WANNA, UH, MAINTAIN OUR STATUS AMONG THE U ELITE UTILITIES IN TERMS OF, UM, OUR AGGRESSIVE CLEAN ENERGY GOALS.

UH, I DON'T KNOW OF ANY UTILITY ACROSS THE COUNTRY THAT HAS A GOAL THAT'S MORE AGGRESSIVE THAN, UH, CARBON FREE BY 2035 AND THERE'S ONLY ONE OR TWO THAT THAT MATCH THAT.

UM, AND SO WE WANNA MAINTAIN AND REAFFIRM OUR GOAL OF CARBON FREE BY 2035.

WE HAVE TO EXIT COAL IN ORDER TO GET THERE.

IT'S THE BIGGEST BARRIER IN OUR WAY.

AND ALONG THE WAY WE'LL CONTINUE TO USE REACH.

WE ALSO WANNA, UM, ADOPT REMOTE WIND AND SOLAR AND OTHER CARBON FREE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL HELP US GET THERE.

BUT RIGHT NOW, TODAY, I DON'T SEE THE PATH TO CARBON FREE BY 2035 GIVEN THE TECHNOLOGY THAT'S AVAILABLE TODAY.

AND SO THIS LAST BUCKET IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO STAY ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH EMERGING AND EVOLVING TECHNOLOGIES SO THAT WE CAN ADOPT THOSE GAME CHANGERS WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF, UM, EXAMPLES HERE.

BOB TALKED ABOUT THE PILOT GEOTHERMAL AND Y'ALL DISCUSSED ITS POTENTIAL.

UM, THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES AS NUCLEAR CONTINUES TO EVOLVE IN VARIOUS WAYS, UM, AND, AND MORE AND MORE AS YOU SEE UP THERE.

WHAT'S BECOME VERY CLEAR THROUGHOUT ALL OF OUR WORK IS THAT WE NEED FLEXIBILITY TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD AND ADDRESS THE RISKS THAT WE SEE TODAY.

SO ONCE YOU MAX OUT THE CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS AND YOU BRING IN THE ADDITIONAL TRANSMISSION, YOU REALLY STILL HAVE, UH, ONLY TWO TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO TODAY TO HELP YOU FILL THE LOCAL GAP.

AND THOSE ARE UTILITY SCALE BATTERIES AND UH, NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS.

SO I WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THOSE ARE, AND I'VE PUT THEM SIDE BY SIDE HERE BECAUSE, UH, AS YOU SAW ON THE LAST SLIDE, I THINK WE NEED BOTH OF THEM.

UM, SO, BUT JUST LET'S START WITH WHAT ARE THESE TOOLS? SO YOU SEE BATTERIES ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE.

UM, THESE ARE, YOU KNOW, TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN STORE AND DISCHARGE ENERGY USUALLY FOR ABOUT TWO TO FOUR HOURS.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE, UM, IN THE ERCOT MARKET.

UM, AND YOU CAN HAVE A UTILITY SCALE THIS, UM, INSTALLATION, WHICH IS, UM, LIKE WHAT YOU SEE HERE IN THE PHOTO.

THIS IS 150 MEGAWATT UTILITY SCALE INSTALLATION.

YOU CAN ALSO DISTRIBUTE BATTERIES THROUGHOUT YOUR SERVICE TERRITORY, UM, AND PUT SOME OF THEM IN SUBSTATIONS.

[00:40:01]

SO EACH ONE OF THESE UNITS IS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A TRACTOR TRAILER.

AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT FOR AUSTIN, UM, OVER THE LAST OR ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO WHEN I WAS WORKING ON THE AUSTIN SHINES PROJECT.

SO I KNOW WHAT IT TAKES AND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO DO WORK WITH BATTERIES.

THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY EXCITING OPPORTUNITIES THERE.

THERE'S A LOT OF CHALLENGES TO OVERCOME AS WELL.

BUT I DO THINK THAT THE TRADE-OFFS THERE ARE WORTH IT.

AND SO I DO THINK BATTERY STORAGE SHOULD BE IN OUR PORTFOLIO.

ON THE, UM, RIGHT SIDE, YOU SEE THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE DECKER, UH, SITE.

AND SO THE EXISTING PEAKER UNITS ARE CIRCLED, UH, THERE AND THEY'RE SITTING NEXT TO THE DECKER STEAM UNITS, WHICH ARE THE TWO THAT WE RETIRED.

AND I WAS TALKING ABOUT EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION.

UM, TO BE CLEAR, WHEN WE SAY NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THESE MORE SMALLER, MORE MODULAR UNITS.

AND BY THEIR NATURE, THEY'RE ONLY RUN WHEN NEEDED, WHEN DEMAND IS HIGH.

MUCH EARLIER IN THE PROCESS WE WERE LOOKING AT LARGER UNITS, UH, LIKE COMBINED CYCLE UNITS.

UM, AND WE TALKED ABOUT HAVING THE ABILITY TO CONVERT THEM TO HYDROGEN.

WE'RE NO, WE'VE PIVOTED AWAY FROM THAT.

WE'VE HEARD THE CONCERNS ABOUT THE SIZE AND THE SCALE OF THOSE TYPES OF UNITS.

AND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS, WHICH AGAIN, ARE MUCH SMALLER.

UM, AND SO WE WANNA REMAIN OPEN TO THE NEWER, MORE EFFICIENT, WHICH MEANS LESS EMISSIONS.

UH, NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS THAT RUN WHEN NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN RELIABILITY AND TO KEEP COSTS AFFORDABLE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS.

THERE ARE TRADE OFFS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES.

AND SO BATTERIES ARE HIGHLY DISPATCHABLE.

THEY CAN BE TURNED ON AND OFF VERY, VERY QUICKLY.

THEY CAN BE CLEANER IF THEY'RE, UH, CHARGED WITH CLEAN ENERGY.

UM, THEY ARE DURATION LIMITED.

AND SO ONCE YOU RUN OUT OF THE POWER THAT'S BEEN STORED, YOU HAVE TO CHARGE THEM BACK UP BEFORE YOU CAN USE THEM AGAIN.

THERE ARE UPSTREAM CONSIDERATIONS LIKE CRITICAL MINERAL MINING PRACTICES TO CONSIDER.

AND THEN THERE ARE ALSO, UH, SOME REGULATORY RISKS.

UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN WITH THE TARIFFS OR THE INCENTIVES, BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'LL HAVE TO CONSIDER AS WE WE MOVE FORWARD.

'CAUSE IT COULD CHANGE THE DYNAMICS OF THINGS.

PEAKERS ARE ALSO HIGHLY DISPATCHABLE IN THIS CASE, THEY'RE BLACK START CAPABLE.

I WANNA PAUSE AND JUST TALK ABOUT THAT FOR A SECOND.

WHAT THAT REALLY MEANS IS THAT IF THERE'S A GRID BLACKOUT EMERGENCY, THESE UNITS HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO TURN ON WITHOUT POWER FROM THE REST OF THE GRID.

SO THEY, THEY'RE THE FIRST UNITS TO TURN ON AND TO HELP START REBUILD AND RESTORE POWER TO THE STATE OF TEXAS.

AND SO AS THE CAPITAL CITY, WE THINK IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THAT AS A TOOL.

IN OUR TOOLKIT, THE PEAKERS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ARE NEWER THAN THE ONES THAT WE HAVE BUILT TODAY.

SOME OF THE ONES WE HAVE TODAY ARE FROM THE 1980S.

AND SO THEY WOULD BE, UH, MORE EFFICIENT, THEY WOULD PRODUCE LESS EMISSIONS.

SO ON A NORMAL DAY YOU'D BE USING THESE PEAKERS BEFORE, UM, EXISTING UNITS AND WE'D HAVE A CLEANER SOLUTION.

THERE ALSO ARE UPSTREAM CONSIDERATIONS.

YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT LIKE METHANE LEAKAGE, AND OF COURSE THEY ARE FOSSIL FUEL BUILT, UH, BURNING.

AND SO THEY DO PRODUCE EMISSIONS.

IF YOU LOOK AT A SOLUTION THAT HAS BOTH, CONSIDER IT LIKE A HYBRID CAR, YOU'VE GOT BOTH BATTERIES AND PEAKERS IN YOUR TOOLKIT.

YOU USE YOUR BATTERIES FIRST TO MINIMIZE THE EMISSIONS.

YOU USE THE BATTERIES WHENEVER YOU HAVE A SHORT DURATION NEED.

WHEN YOUR DURATION NEED GETS LONGER, YOU'VE GOT YOUR PEAKERS THERE TO HELP FILL IN THE GAP.

THE DIVERSITY OF THE TOOL IS GONNA OVERALL IMPROVE THE RESPONSE AND YOUR LESS VULNERABLE TO ANY ONE OF THE DISADVANTAGES LISTED ABOVE FOR THE SINGLE TOOL.

WE ALSO, I HAD SEVERAL OF YOU ASK ME ABOUT HOW DO YOU TAKE THOSE, UH, TRADE OFFS AND PUT THEM INTO NUMBERS.

SO HERE WE TOOK SOME MODELING, UM, AND WE ESSENTIALLY MAXED OUT ALL OF THE DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT.

WE PUT IN REMOTE WIND AND SOLAR, UM, OF 1800 MEGAWATTS.

WE INCLUDED, UH, THE STANDARD, UH, TRANSMISSION CAPACITY INCREASE.

AND WE SAID WE WOULDN'T RETIRE OUR EXISTING GENERATION.

WE KEPT ALL THOSE THINGS THE SAME FOR THE PURPOSES OF JUST LOOKING AT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UH, BATTERIES AND PEAKERS.

AND SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS THE TRADE-OFFS IN THE THREE MAIN CATEGORIES.

SO WHEN YOU DO THE BATTERIES 325 MEGAWATTS OF BATTERY SOLUTION, THE COST, THIS IS THE ORANGE BAR.

THE RED BAR IS $400 MILLION OF INCREASED COSTS.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE BLUE BAR, YOU'RE LOOKING AT LESS EMISSIONS.

SO 0.9 MILLION METRIC TONS.

AND THEN THE DIFFERENCE REALLY HERE, I MEAN THERE IS A TRADE OFF IN COST AND EMISSIONS, BUT THE DIFFERENCE HERE IS WHETHER OR NOT, UH, WE HAVE A SOLUTION THAT CAN BRING DOWN THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS.

UM, AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT A COMBINED HYBRID SOLUTION, YOU SEE A MORE BALANCE AND GET MORE MIDDLE GROUND APPROACH.

UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT A SOLUTION THAT JUST HAS CLEAN TECHNOLOGY, THE BATTERIES, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, DEMAND RESPONSE, LOCAL SOLAR, ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAVE TO GET MUCH MORE IN QUANTITY TO BRING THE RELIABILITY RISKS DOWN TO COMPARABLE LEVELS.

AND THE COST ENDS UP BEING $1.5 BILLION MORE.

SO, UM, REALLY THE THE THING AND, AND THOSE,

[00:45:01]

AND THOSE QUANTITIES ARE HIGHER THAN WHAT OUR STUDY HAS SHOWN AS THE MAXIMUM POSSIBLE.

UM, SO WE REALLY HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ALL OF THESE THINGS AS WE LOOK AT WHAT KIND OF TOOLS WE PUT IN OUR TOOLKIT.

QUICK QUESTION CHAIR, I, IS THIS SLIDE THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING IS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE WERE SHARED VIA EMAIL? 'CAUSE I DON'T SEE THE SLIDE THAT YOU HAD WITH JUST THE TWO WITH THE ECONOMIC IMPACT.

THE 400 MILLION, THAT ONE, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME SLIDE.

IT'S GOT AN ANIMATION ON IT AND SO I WONDER IF YOU WERE SENT A PDF.

SO WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET THIS VERSION OF THE SLIDE.

NOT A PROBLEM.

OKAY, THANK YOU.

ALRIGHT, SO, UM, AGAIN, QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE TRADE-OFFS TO CONSIDER, UM, AS WE LOOK.

BUT THE HYBRID APPROACH REALLY PUTTING ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLKIT IS REALLY, UM, WHAT WE, WHAT WE RECOMMEND.

UM, SO WHAT'S OUR PATH TO, TO ADOPTING THE 2035 PLAN? LAST NIGHT WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION WITH THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND RECEIVED THEIR FEEDBACK TODAY.

WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING YOUR FEEDBACK.

WE'RE GONNA INCORPORATE THAT INTO THE PROPOSED DRAFT PLAN THAT WE'RE WORKING ON NOW AND POST THAT, UM, NEXT WEEK.

AND THEN THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION WILL VOTE ON THEIR RECOMMENDATION DECEMBER 2ND.

AND THIS WILL BE SITTING AS AN ITEM FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION ON THE DECEMBER 12TH COUNCIL, UH, AGENDA.

AND IN THE END, ALL OF THE WORK, ALL OF THE EFFORT, ALL OF YOUR TIME AND INTEREST, WE WANT TO BUILD A 2035 PLAN THAT WILL POWER US INTO THE FUTURE.

WE WANNA PLAN THAT EVERYONE IS PROUD TO SAY, UH, PUTS AUSTIN ENERGY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN AMONG THE ELITE AND FORWARD THINKING.

WE WANT THAT.

WE HAVE THE CLEANEST ENERGY PORTFOLIO IN TEXAS AND CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BEST IN THE NATION.

UM, WE WANNA, IT'S INDUSTRY LEADING CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

IT'S ONE THAT YOU CAN SAY PROMOTES RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY.

IT'S PROTECTING OUR MOST VULNERABLE, IT'S RESILIENT TO EXTREME WEATHER.

IT'S FLEXIBLE AND INNOVATIVE BUILT TO ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS.

AND IT WAS INFORMED THROUGH EXTENSIVE WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY.

SO WE WANT YOU TO BE PROUD OF IT.

WE VERY CERTAINLY ARE PROUD OF IT.

I'M VERY PROUD OF THE TEAM THAT WE'VE WORKED WITH.

AND, UH, I THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION.

THANK YOU, MS. MARTIN.

UM, THAT REPRESENTS A WHOLE LOT OF WORK FROM THE PUBLIC AND FROM OUR STAFF.

AND, UH, WE ALL VERY MUCH APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S EFFORT BEING BROUGHT TO BEAR ON THIS REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC.

I'M, I'M GONNA KICK, GO AHEAD.

IF YOU'RE GONNA KICK IT OFF, GO.

I'M GONNA KICK OFF WITH A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS MYSELF, AND THEN I'LL CALL ON COUNCIL MEMBER ELLISON AND THE MAYOR FOR SOME QUESTIONS AND THEN WE WILL WORK THROUGH OTHER QUESTIONS THAT MAY, UH, THAT Y'ALL MAY HAVE.

UM, SO LET'S START WITH THIS.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN MORE ABOUT WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN IF WE HAD ANOTHER WINTER STORM URI AND WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DISPATCHABLE GENERATION AVAILABLE? YEAH, SO DURING WINTER STORM, YURI ERCOT SAID THAT WE WEREN'T, DIDN'T HAVE AN APPROPRIATE, LIKE ACROSS THE STATE SUPPLY AND DEMAND RISK.

AND WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO, UM, UTILITIES THAT DIDN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT DISPATCHABLE GENERATION WAS EXTREME FINANCIAL RISK.

UM, BRAZOS HAD TO DECLARE BANKRUPTCY IMMEDIATELY.

AND SO, UH, WE'VE DONE ANALYSIS TO SAY WHAT COULD HAPPEN, UM, AND IT COULD COST OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BE ABLE TO HAVE TO PROVIDE THAT TO ERCOT ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

AND DEPENDING ON WHAT YOUR TECHNOLOGY MIXES, WE'VE SEEN NUMBERS THAT HAVE BEEN AS HIGH AS A BILLION DOLLARS.

AND SO THAT COULD REALLY PUT AUSTIN IN ENERGY AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN IN EXTREME FINANCIAL STRAITS IF WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT DISPATCHABLE ENERGY HERE.

SO YOU'RE SAYING IT'S NOT JUST FINANCIAL STRAITS, BUT IT'S ALSO THE LACK OF THE DISPATCHABLE ENERGY, SO YOU ALSO WOULD BE SITTING FREEZING? YES.

THANKS.

UH, AND IN THE MODELS, DID YOU FIND AN OVERALL PATTERN THAT YOU CAN DESCRIBE AS YOU SHIFTED THE NUMBERS AROUND IN THE VARIOUS CALCULATIONS, WERE THERE ANY PATTERNS THAT EMERGED IN THOSE VARIOUS OUTCOMES IN THE MODELING? WELL, CERTAINLY, UM, WE SAW THAT WE, WE, WE STARTED TO ASK OURSELVES, WHAT, WHAT DO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ADDRESS THE RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY RISK WHILE STILL WORKING TOWARDS OUR CLEAN ENERGY GOALS AS AGGRESSIVELY AS POSSIBLE? HOW DO WE BALANCE ALL OF THAT OUT? AND SO CERTAINLY WHEREAS IN THE BEGINNING WE WERE LOOKING AT MODELING, UM, SHUTTING DOWN ALL OF OUR EXISTING GENERATION AND PUTTING IN, UH, OVER A THOUSAND MEGAWATTS OF HYDROGEN COMBINED CYCLE GENERATION.

WE CERTAINLY SHIFTED AWAY FROM THAT.

WE HEARD A LOT OF CONCERNS, UM, AND WE SAID, WHAT CAN WE DO TO, UH, MAXIMIZE CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS AND THEN USE THE MINIMAL AMOUNT TO FILL THE GAP? AND THAT'S WHERE WE STARTED TALKING ABOUT THE NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS.

UM, AND THESE ARE SMALLER, MORE MODULAR UNITS.

THINK ABOUT THEM.

THEY'RE LIKE, THEY LITERALLY ARE JET ENGINES, BUT INSTEAD OF BEING ON THE SIDE OF A, OF AN AIRPLANE WING, THEY'RE CONNECTED TO A GENERATOR.

AND, UM, AND THE ONES THAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT THAN OUR EXISTING GENERATION AS WELL.

SO ON THE USER'S END OF THIS, UH, WHAT PROGRAMS OR FURTHER INCENTIVES ARE BEING DISCUSSED TO HELP PEOPLE USE LESS ENERGY, UM, THEREBY CONSERVING WHAT IS ALREADY IN PRODUCTION? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, THANK YOU CHAIR.

I'VE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, THE DEMAND SIDE.

[00:50:01]

UM, WE HAVE, AS YOU KNOW, DECADES OF EXPERIENCE IN THE CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS SIDE OF THINGS.

AND THERE'S ALWAYS OPPORTUNITY TO DO MORE.

A LOT OF THE LOW HANGING FRUIT HAS BEEN TAKEN, YOU KNOW, CARE OF.

UM, AND SO, UH, BUT WE NEED TO DO MORE ABOUT MANAGED ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING THAT'S, UM, ON THE FOREFRONT.

UM, ALSO, UH, CUSTOMER SIGHTED BATTERIES.

UM, AND, UH, AND, AND, AND REALLY JUST, UM, FINDING NEW WAYS TO HELP THE CUSTOMERS UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN HELP THEMSELVES, UM, AND ADOPT THE PROGRAMS THAT WE HAVE.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

I KNOW OVER THE PAST, UM, THREE YEARS SINCE YURI, THERE WERE A TON OF FOLKS THAT HAD REACHED OUT TO US BECAUSE THEY WERE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING ROOFTOP SOLAR OR BATTERIES TO BE ABLE TO HELP THEM IN TIMES OF NEED.

UM, AND WE KEPT HEARING COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE INSPECTION PROCESS AND THEY TURN ON TURN OFF PROCESS.

ARE ANY OF THOSE DETAILS BEING LOOKED AT AS, AS FOLKS TRY TO CONSERVE ENERGY AND, AND KEEP THEIR HOUSE ON THE GRID AND, AND BE LESS OF A DRAIN ON THE GRID FOR EVERYBODY ELSE? YEAH.

YOUR STAFF ACTUALLY HAS, UM, BROUGHT THAT TO OUR ATTENTION.

WE'VE HEARD IT IN OTHER WAYS AS WELL, BUT WE KNOW IT'S SPECIFICALLY, UM, IMPORTANT TO THE, THE, UM, CONSTITUENTS OF DISTRICT EIGHT.

AND, UM, AND SO TALKING ABOUT MAKING THE CUSTOMER INTERCONNECTION PROCESS A LITTLE MORE STREAMLINED TO TRY TO REMOVE SOME OF THOSE BARRIERS, WE'VE INCORPORATED THAT INTO THE PLAN AS WELL.

AND I, I HAVE A COUPLE OTHERS, BUT I KNOW FOLKS MAY HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, SO I WILL HOLD THOSE AND SEE IF SOMEONE ELSE COVERS THEM.

AND IF WE COME BACK AFTER SPEAKERS, I'LL CONTINUE ASKING QUESTIONS.

FAIR ENOUGH.

UH, MAYOR, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.

THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.

UM, ADDRESS, IF YOU WILL HELP, HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW THIS PLAN, UH, PLAYS A ROLE IN HELPING US CEASE OPERATIONS AT FAYETTE BY NO LATER THAN JANUARY OF 29.

SO, UH, FAYETTE, THE COAL EMISSIONS THAT CON FAYETTE IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO OUR AGGRESSIVE CARBON FREE BY 2035 GOAL.

SO WE REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO EXIT COAL AS SOON AS WE CAN.

UM, AND THEN IT ALSO PROVIDES THE ABILITY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU CAN DO TO RESPONSIBLY REPLACE THAT GENERATION THAT YOU WOULD BE SHUTTING DOWN OR EXITING FROM, UM, SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN MAINTAIN AFFORDABILITY, LOW COSTS FOR OUR CUSTOMERS, AND ALSO RELIABILITY.

THAT THAT TOOLKIT OF ALL OF THE ABOVE, UM, REALLY IS WHAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE RIGHT REPLACEMENT FOR SHUTTING DOWN FAYETTE.

SO I WANNA SAY THIS BACK TO YOU, MAKE SURE I GET IT.

YOU BELIEVE THAT BY, BY DOING UTILIZING THIS PLAN, IT CREATES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE TOOLS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR US TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF GETTING OUT OF FAYETTE, BUT ON OR BEFORE THAT DATE? THAT IS CORRECT.

AND OUR CURRENT PLAN DOES NOT ALLOW US TO DO THAT, UM, AS EASILY.

'CAUSE I I, I'M, I'M SURE YOU ALL HAVE HEARD OVER AND OVER AGAIN HOW HIGH THAT PRIORITY IS.

SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A, IT SEEMS TO BE THAT NEEDS TO BE A KEY PART OF, OF HOW WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS.

THE, THE OTHER OTHER QUESTION I'VE GOT RELATES TO THE PEAKER, THE, THE REPLACEMENT PEAKER UNITS THAT YOU TALK ABOUT.

, UM, THE, THE CONCEPT OF THE PEAKER UNITS ARE USE THEM WHEN YOU NEED 'EM.

AND, AND THAT'S PART OF THE NAME FOR PEAKER, BUT MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT USED SO THAT YOU'RE GENERATING AND SELLING.

HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE WE STAY IN THE LANE OF WHAT THOSE PEAKER UNITS ARE ACTUALLY FOR? AND WE'RE NOT ACTUALLY GOING TO UTILIZE THOSE PEAKER UNITS FOR SOMETHING OTHER THAN JUST WHEN YOU NEED THEM, YOU USE 'EM JUST SO THAT YOU CAN, YOU CAN GENERATE ELECTRICITY AND SELL IT.

OH, OKAY.

I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION.

SO, UM, THE PEAKER UNITS, AS YOU MENTIONED IN THEIR NAME, IT'S, IT'S LITERALLY ABOUT RUNNING THEM WHEN THE PEAK DEMAND, WHEN DEMAND IS THE HIGHEST.

UM, FUNDAMENTALLY THE WAY THAT THEY WORK IS THEY COME ON KIND OF AS THE UNIT OF LAST RESORT.

UM, BUT I'M TALKING ABOUT CONCERN ABOUT THEM NOT COMING ON AS THE UNIT OF LAST RESORT, BUT BEING UTILIZED IN A WAY SO THAT YOU, YOU WE WERE ABLE TO SELL MORE ELECTRICITY, WHICH THAT'S RIGHT.

I UNDERSTAND.

RUNNING A GENERATOR GETS PASSED ONTO THE CUSTOMER.

BUT, BUT THAT'S NOT THE PURPOSE OF THIS AND IT WOULDN'T FIT IN MY VIEW, INTO WHAT THE CONCEPT TO THE, THE, THE SMORE, IF YOU WILL, OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE IN TERMS OF THAT'S RIGHT.

UH, ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION, RUNNING THEM MORE, UM, THAN YOU WOULD NEED THEM TO, IS, IS REALLY A MISCHARACTERIZATION OF HOW WE COULD OPERATE THEM.

UM, AND, AND SO REALLY, UM, YOU RUN THEM WHEN YOU NEED IT, WHEN THE DEMAND IS HIGH, UM, AND THEN EVERYTHING THAT IS GENERAT, BASICALLY ALL THE COSTS OF RUNNING, UH, GENERATOR GETS PASSED ONTO THE CUSTOMER.

ALL THE REVENUE FROM UH, UH,

[00:55:01]

SO THE CUSTOMER ENDS UP PAYING THE NET OF THOSE TWO THINGS.

UM, AS A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY, OUR JOB IS TO SERVE THE CUSTOMERS, UH, NOT TO DO ANYTHING BEYOND THAT.

SO THE PLAN CAN HAVE LIMITATIONS ON HOW WE, WE RUN THESE UNITS, THE RIGHT GUARDRAILS, IF YOU WILL.

IT COULD COME IN A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT FORMS, UM, RIGHT.

BY THEIR NATURE, THEY'RE GOING TO BE RUN LESS.

WE KNOW THAT A PEAKER GENERALLY RUNS 12% OF THE TIME.

IT'S LESS THAN THREE HOURS A DAY ON AVERAGE.

UM, BUT YOU COULD, UM, PUT RUN HOUR LIMITATIONS.

LAST NIGHT THE COMMISSION WAS TALKING ABOUT PUTTING EMISSION LIMITATIONS ON THEM.

WE CAN, WE CAN DO THINGS OKAY.

TO PUT THE RIGHT GUARDRAILS ON THERE.

UM, FUNDAMENTALLY AS A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY, LIKE AGAIN, THAT WE, WE DON'T DO THAT.

WE DON'T OPERATE THAT WAY.

UM, BUT IF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT IT, LIMITATIONS ARE, ARE POSSIBLE.

THOSE ARE THE GUARDRAILS.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, I WANNA TALK FIRST ABOUT THE, THE RELIABILITY PIECE OF ALL THIS.

UM, AND YOU KNOW, YOU SHOWED YOUR VIDEO AND, AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RELIABILITY, AT LEAST WHEN I TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT RELIABILITY, IT GENERALLY SEEMS TO BE PRIMARILY JUST DAY TO DAY, KEEP THE LIGHTS ON, RIGHT? MY POWER WENT OUT, THEY TEXT ME, TELL ME MY POWER WENT OUT .

AND, AND WE HAVE ISSUES WITH THAT, RIGHT? AND THAT'S PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF OUR DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, OUR EQUIPMENT WITH TRANSFORMERS, POWER LINES, UH, VEGETATION, THINGS FALLING ON THE LINES, RIGHT? WE DON'T, WE DON'T SEE DAY TO DAY POWER LOSSES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH POWER GENERATION.

RIGHT? THAT'S A FAIR ASSUMPTION OR FAIR CHARACTERIZATION.

TODAY, THE REASONS THAT THE POWER IS OUT IS, IS, IS NOT BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHT, UM, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE SITUATION YET WHERE THE POWER HAS GONE OUT BECAUSE OF A GENERATOR, RIGHT? AND SO THEN THERE'S THE OTHER LOOMING IN EVERYBODY'S MIND AND MIND TOO, OF LOOKING BACK, WHETHER IT'S WINTER STORM, YAMAR LAST YEAR, WINTER STORM, YURI, THE YEAR, TWO YEARS BEFORE THAT, I CAN'T EVEN KEEP TRACK, UH, OF THIS LONG DURATION DAYS IN THAT CASE ON END.

AND, AND WHEN YOU REALLY DO THEN HAVE LIFE THREATENING RESULTS FROM THAT.

AND WE SAW IT WHEN PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE THE POWER WENT OUT.

UM, SO I WANNA START WITH YURI FOR A MINUTE.

AND THE CHAIR TALKED ABOUT YURI AND, AND WHETHER DISPATCHABLE POWER, WHERE THAT FIT INTO THAT.

WHEN AND WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, ERCOT ORDERED 20,000 MEGAWATTS OF LOAD SHED STATEWIDE, CORRECT? UH, YES.

LOTS.

SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THESE EVENTS THAT HAVE TRIGGERED THESE FEELINGS OF A, A NEED FOR A LIABILITY, THE SOLUTIONS WE'RE BRINGING FORWARD ARE MORE ECONOMIC IN, IN NATURE THAN THEY ARE ACTUALLY KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON.

SO WE'RE 60, 70, SOMETIMES 80 NOW THOUSAND.

SO WE'RE TALKING ALMOST A QUARTER OF OR MORE OF THE STATE'S POWER CONSUMPTION.

ERCOT TOLD THE MARKET, INCLUDING AUSTIN ENERGY, YOU GUYS NEED TO START SHEDDING LOAD.

AND THAT'S WHY PEOPLE STARTED LOSING POWER ALL ACROSS THE CITY, MYSELF INCLUDED.

HAD WE HAD 200 MEGAWATTS OF PEAKER PLANTS THAT WOULD'VE GONE INTO THE ERCOT MARKET, RIGHT? IT WOULDN'T HAVE GONE STRAIGHT TO MY HOME OR ANYONE'S HOME HERE.

AND WE STILL WOULD'VE HAD THEN BEST CASE SCENARIO, 19,800 MEGAWATTS OF LOAD SHED.

AND SO WHILE THESE PEAKERS WOULD'VE PROVIDED A FINANCIAL BENEFIT, JUST LIKE FAYETTE DID, FAYETTE REALLY SAVED OUR BACON FROM A A REVENUES PERSPECTIVE, IT WOULD NOT HAVE KEPT THE LIGHTS ON, RIGHT? THESE 200 MEGAWATTS OF PEAKERS, EVERYONE'S LIGHTS WHOSE WERE OUT SAY FOR MAYBE 1% WOULD'VE STILL BEEN OUT.

IS THAT NOT A FAIR ASSESSMENT? THAT'S A FAIR ASSESSMENT OF WINTER STORM URI.

AND THEN LOOKING AT WINTER STORM MAURA, I, I REMEMBER YOU OR SOMEONE SAYING, YOU KNOW, WE GOT HIT BY AN ICE HURRICANE.

AND IN THAT INSTANCE, PEOPLE LOST POWERS FOR DAYS ON END BECAUSE WE HAD A THIRD OF THE CITY'S TREE CANOPY FALL DOWN OFTEN ON PEOPLE'S POWER LINES.

AND IT TOOK DAYS TO GET THAT BACK.

AND, AND THAT ISSUE, I THINK IS, YOU KNOW WHY WE CALLED FOR MORE UNDERGROUNDING? AND, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT I STILL THINK WE NEED TO REALLY PRIORITIZE TO, TO MAKE A MORE RELIABLE SYSTEM.

BUT ONCE AGAIN, IN THAT INSTANCE, HAD WE HAD 200 MEGAWATTS OF PEAKERS, NOBODY'S POWER WHO LOST IT BECAUSE A TREE FELL ON THE LIMB WOULD'VE HAD POWER, RIGHT? SO,

[01:00:01]

AND SO THAT THEN TAKES ME TO LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION THAT, THAT YOU GUYS PRESENTED TO THE EUC ABOUT WHAT WE WOULD SEE FROM A RELIABILITY PERSPECTIVE.

AND, AND THERE WERE THE, THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS CHARTS, RIGHT? THESE BAR GRAPHS AND, AND LINE CHARTS OF, OF WHAT HAPPENS WITHIN THAT.

I KNOW SOME OF THE UC MEMBERS ASKED ABOUT THE, A SUBSET OF THAT AND, AND, AND THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS ARE NOT NECESSARILY HOURS THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE WITHOUT POWER, RIGHT? THERE ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.

I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THERE, BUT IT'S NOT AN UNSERVED POWER METRIC.

RELIABILITY RISK HOURS ARE THE HOURS WHEN YOU'RE SITTING ON THE EDGE BETWEEN THE LIGHTS BEING ON AND THE POWER BEING OUT.

AND ALL IT WOULD TAKE IS FOR ONE THING TO GO WRONG.

AND THERE'S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT COULD GO WRONG AT THAT POINT.

SO IT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY HIGHLY ELEVATED RISK.

SURE.

MM-HMM, FROM A A, A FULLY UNMET SYSTEMS NEED.

WHEN THAT QUESTION WAS POSED, WE HAVE, UM, THE VERY UNDER, UNDER ONE PORTFOLIO PORTFOLIO 17.

THE, THE FIRST TIME WE MEET, NOT, WE DON'T HAVE THE, THE TRUE POWER BALANCE THAT'S 2031.

AND UNDER THE SCENARIO 15.

AND THEN JUST FOR REFERENCE SCENARIOS, 15, 16, 17, THESE ARE THE HEAVY BATTERY SOLAR DEMAND RESPONSE EFFICIENCY.

WE WOULDN'T HAVE TRUE UNSERVED MET HOURS UNTIL 2035.

BUT EVEN TAKING THAT TO DECIDE FOR A MOMENT, LOOKING JUST AT THE UNDERLYING DATA OF THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS COMPARING TO TODAY.

'CAUSE THAT'S, IF WE DID NOTHING HERE, WE WOULD CONTINUE ON THE 2030 PLAN, RIGHT? THAT WOULD BE THE MANDATE THAT YOU HAVE THE INSTRUCTIONS YOU HAVE TO CONTINUE.

AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS UNDER OUR CURRENT PLAN VERSUS ANY OF THESE SCENARIOS, SCENARIOS 15, SCENARIO 16, SCENARIO 17, ADOPTING THOSE SCENARIOS HAVE LESS RELIABILITY RISK HOURS AKA ARE MORE RELIABLE THAN OUR CURRENT PLAN.

THEY MIGHT NOT BE AS RELIABLE AS BUILDING THE GAS PEAKERS.

AND THAT'S, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT SOME MORE A SEC.

BUT THEY, WE WOULD BE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FROM A RIGHT RELIABILITY STANDPOINT BY DEPLOYING SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES, LOCUS, SOLAR OR BATTERY ENERGY EFFICIENT AND SO ON.

I MEAN, IT, YOU LOOK AT NEXT YEAR YOU'D HAVE 34 HOURS VERSUS 27 HOURS.

YOU LOOK AT, GO OUT TO 2024 UNDER OUR CURRENT PLAN OR TWENTY THIRTY FOUR, A HUNDRED FIFTY RELIABILITY RISK HOURS.

AND THESE PLANS ZERO, ZERO AND ONE.

SO WE'RE NOT TALKING A LITTLE BIT, WE'RE TALKING A LOT, A BIT IF WE CHANGE OUR CURRENT PATH NOW FOR FAIRNESS AND SCENARIO 14, WHICH IS THE ONE WITH THE PEAKERS, THAT ALSO BRINGS YOU TO ZERO, RIGHT? BECAUSE NOW WE HAVE THIS, UH, ADDITIONAL GENERATION, BUT WHAT I FIND TO BE MOST FASCINATING IN THE DATA ARE THEN NOT JUST COMPARING TO TODAY, BUT COMPARING TO THE SCENARIO 14 THAT HAS THE PEAKERS AND UNDER THAT SCENARIO, COMPARING TO 15, 16, OR 17, WHICH HAS THESE, ONCE AGAIN, A LOT OF LOCAL SOLAR, A LOT OF BATTERIES, ALL LOT OF DEMAND RESPONSE IN EVERY SINGLE YEAR BETWEEN NOW AND 2034, EXCEPT FOR ONE YEAR.

THE MORE RELIABLE SYSTEM IS THE ONE WITHOUT THE PEAKERS.

IT'S THE ONE WITH MORE DEMAND RESPONSE, MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, MORE LOCAL SOLAR.

AND SO I'M TRYING TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND WHY WE'RE SAYING THE MOST RELIABLE SYSTEM IS THE ONE WITH THE PEAKERS.

NOW IN 2035, I THINK YOU AS VERY WELL AWARE, THEN IT SHOOTS UP, RIGHT? WE RETIRE SANDHILL, WE RETIRE DECKER, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN RELIABILITY RISK HOURS GO THROUGH THE ROOF.

AND SO THEN WHEN WE AVERAGE EVERYTHING,

[01:05:03]

IT CAN SKEW THOSE DATA.

SO WHY FROM A RELIABILITY RISK HOUR PERSPECTIVE, IF WE TOOK THE DECISION POINT OFF OF THE TABLE OF, OF, UM, RETIRING SANDHILL OR DECKER SAYING THAT'S 10 YEARS OUT, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TECHNOLOGY'S GONNA LOOK LIKE.

MAYBE THE GEOTHERMAL PILOT IS A HUGE SUCCESS.

MAYBE THE SMALL MODULAR REACTORS COME, YOU KNOW, WHO KNOWS WHY FROM THE RELIABILITY RISK HOUR PERSPECTIVE, ARE WE SAYING THAT THE PEAKER OPTION IS THE BEST OPTION? SO THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION AND THE WALKING THROUGH IT.

SORRY, LONG PREAMBLE, YOU YOU WERE DIGGING WAY DEEP INTO THE MODELING AND I APPRECIATE THAT ME AND MY STAFF ARE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO SIT DOWN AND WORK WITH YOU ON ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

BUT YOU TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN THE BEGINNING.

LOOK, OUTAGES HAPPEN FOR ALL KINDS OF REASONS.

AND SO WINTER STORM URI WAS AN OUTAGE.

THAT WAS BECAUSE ERCOT MANDATED IT.

THERE WAS A SUPPLY AND DEMAND IMBALANCE ACROSS THE STATE, RIGHT? THE RISK TO AUSTIN FOR ANOTHER WINTER STORM URI THAT THIS RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN COULD HELP SUPPORT IS TO AVOID THE LIQUIDITY RISKS, THE DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE NEED FOR CASH.

THAT COULD BE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.

YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT WINTER STORM MARA, THAT WAS DISTRIBUTION, FRANKLY.

DISTRIBUTION OUTAGES HAPPENED FOR ALL KINDS OF REASONS.

CARS HIT POLES, TREES COME INTO THE LINES, EQUIPMENT FAILS.

THAT'S MORE, UH, SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO ADDRESS NOT IN THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN AS MUCH, BUT IN THINGS LIKE THE OVERHEAD HARDENING AND THE UNDERGROUNDING FEASIBILITY STUDY.

I IMAGINE I'LL BE HERE AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT YEAR TALKING TO YOU ABOUT THAT WORK AS WELL.

A BIG PART OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, WHAT I'M TRYING TO FOCUS ON AND RECOGNIZE WITH THIS GENERATION PLAN AND THIS PROPOSAL, IS TO AVOID SOMETHING THAT, AS I'M THINKING ABOUT IT, MAYBE IT'S CALLED SUMMER STORM AUSTIN , WHERE IT'S A SITUATION WHERE WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT SUPPLY HERE TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS.

AND THOSE, ONE OF THOSE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS CATERS TO, WE HAVE POWER OUTAGES HERE IN AUSTIN WHERE THE REST OF THE STATE IS MOVING ALONG.

AND THE WAY THAT WOULD HAPPEN COMES DOWN TO SOMETHING THAT'S ALSO TECHNICAL.

I THINK YOU'LL UNDERSTAND IT AND SOME, SOME OF YOU, UH, ALREADY DO I KNOW, BUT VOLTAGE SUPPORT.

SO VOLTAGE IS LIKE WATER PRESSURE.

YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH OF IT TO GET POWER ACROSS THE SYSTEM.

AND WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT SUPPLY AND UH, LOCAL VOLTAGE SUPPORT, THEN YOU RUN INTO A PROBLEM WHERE YOU CAN'T NECESSARILY SERVE YOUR CUSTOMERS.

AND SO IN AUGUST OF 23, WE HAD A SITUATION WHERE ERCOT CALLED US AND SAID, YOU NEED TO TURN ON THOSE DECKER PEAKERS, RIGHT? WE WERE KEEPING THEM OFF BECAUSE OF, UH, WE'VE BEEN RUNNING THEM A LOT BECAUSE OF, UH, IT WAS A, IT WAS A REALLY HARD SUMMER, BUT WE WERE TRYING TO REDUCE THE EMISSIONS AND STAY WITHIN OUR LIMITATIONS.

AND THEY BASICALLY REQUIRE THEM TO COME ON RELIABILITY UNIT COMMITMENT.

THEY SAY, YOU'VE GOT A RELIABILITY ISSUE, AND IF YOU DON'T TURN THOSE ON, THE NEXT THING YOU'RE GONNA DO IS START TURNING PEOPLE'S POWER OFF.

AND SO THAT'S THE SITUATION THAT IS DESCRIBED BY THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS.

AND THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO BRING RELIABILITY RISK DOWN AND THERE ARE TRADE-OFFS IN DOING SO.

SO THE, UH, SCENARIOS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE VARIOUS APPROACHES THAT WERE STUDIED THAT, UM, HAVE HIGHER, UH, LEVELS OF DEMAND RESPONSE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LOCAL SOLAR AND WHATNOT, THERE ARE TRADE-OFFS.

UM, YES, IT BROUGHT DOWN THE RELIABILITY RISK HOURS JUST LIKE A LOCAL PEAKER DID, BUT IT DID SO AT A COST THAT WAS $1.5 BILLION MORE.

AND, UM, IT'S USING VALUES, UM, COUNTING ON DEMAND RESPONSE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LOCAL SOLAR AND CUSTOMER SIDE OF BATTERIES BEYOND WHAT THE, UH, DNV ENERGY INSIGHTS HAS SAID IS THE MAXIMUM POTENTIAL THAT YOU SHOULD COUNT ON WITHIN AUSTIN.

SO I DON'T REALLY WANT US TO, I'M NOT GONNA STAND HERE AND PROPOSE THAT WE BET ON MORE PEOPLE MAKING THEIR HOMES EFFICIENT OR, UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE AGREEING TO THEIR THERMOSTAT BEING TURNED OFF AT THAT PARTICULAR TIME.

IT'S JUST SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH.

SURE.

AND NO, IT'S NOT BY ITSELF ENOUGH, AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO PAIR IT WITH THE SOLAR, WITH THE BATTERIES.

AND YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE COST DIFFERENCE, YES, IT IS CHEAPER THAN OR GOING TO BUILD THIS ADDITIONAL GAS GENERATION IS CHEAPER.

BUT ONCE AGAIN, IF WE, IF WE COMPARE TO TODAY TO OUR CURRENT PLAN, THE COST OF THE HEAVY BATTERY, HEAVY SOLAR OPTION, UH, Y'ALL HAVE IT 10.9 OR 10.8 MILLION OR BILLION DOLLARS, AND TODAY'S IS 10.5.

SO WE'RE TALKING A COUPLE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS.

IF UNDER THE EXTREME WEATHER SCENARIO, IT'S AGAIN A DELTA OF ABOUT 500 MILLION FOR EVEN ONE OF 'EM, IT'S CHEAPER.

BUT IN THE HIGH CONGESTION SCENARIO, WHICH I THINK IS INCREDIBLY LIKELY, WE'RE SEEING CONGESTION ALL ACROSS THE STATE AND NOBODY DOING

[01:10:01]

ANYTHING ABOUT IT FAST ENOUGH.

IT'S THEN 2 BILLION OR A A BILLION DOLLARS CHEAPER TO GO WITH THE SOLAR, THE BATTERIES LOCALLY THAN IT IS WHAT WE'RE CURRENTLY DOING.

SO WE, WE ARE ALREADY GOING TO BE SAVING THE CUSTOMER.

IT'S A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH UNDER OUR CURRENT, OUR CURRENT NUMBERS.

AND SO I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE HEAR A BILLION, 500 MILLION, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN TO THE CUSTOMER, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE REALLY CARE ABOUT.

HOW MUCH AM I GONNA BE PAYING IN MY ELECTRICITY BILL EVERY SINGLE MONTH? AND I THOUGHT IT WAS REALLY HELPFUL THAT Y'ALL SHOWED THAT CHART OF, OF WHAT IS GONNA HAPPEN TO BILLS OVER TIME OR UNDER THESE VARIOUS OPTIONS, YOU KNOW, SHOWING THAT WE ALL KNOW BILLS ARE GONNA GO UP, IT'S A FUNCTION OF INFLATION, IT'S IT WE HAVE TO DEFEAT OUR DEBT.

IT'S, IT'S A, WE ALL KNOW IT'S GONNA HAPPEN .

WE TRY TO LIMIT THAT BECAUSE WE WANT AUSTIN TO BE AN AFFORDABLE PLACE TO LIVE.

AND, AND IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT HOW MUCH, MUCH RENT YOU PAY, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE COST OF FOOD.

IT'S HOW MUCH YOU'RE PAYING EVERY MONTH.

AND THE UTILITY BILL, ESPECIALLY IN THE SUMMER, IS INCREDIBLY HIGH.

BUT LOOKING ONCE AGAIN AT WHERE WE'RE PROJECTED TO GO TO TODAY UNDER OUR CURRENT PLAN, 10 YEARS OUT, IT'S A, UH, IF YOU INFLATE ADJUST FOR INFLATION, $55 INCREASE, IF YOU GO WITH THE PORTFOLIO 15, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, HEAVY BATTERY, HEAVY SOLAR, $57 INCREASE, $2 OVER 10 AFTER 10 YEARS.

AND SO FROM A COST PERSPECTIVE, WE ARE MEETING THE CURRENT PROJECTION OF WHERE WE ARE IN, UM, WHERE WE THINK BILLS ARE GONNA GO.

AND SO I THINK IT'S, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE OF WHAT THIS ACTUALLY MEANS TO THE CUSTOMER BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY ULTIMATELY CARE ABOUT.

UM, YOU ALSO TALKED ABOUT THE LIQUIDITY PROBLEM AND THE LIQUIDITY PROBLEM.

I THINK WE'VE SEEN BOTH FROM, UH, THE YURI WINTER STORM ISSUE.

WE'VE ALSO SEEN IT AS YOU MENTIONED LAST SUMMER, RIGHT? THE, THE SUMMER RISK AND THE ANALYSIS THAT, THAT Y'ALL PERFORMED UNDER OUR CURRENT PLAN.

LOOKING BACK AT YURI, IT'S A $1.278 BILLION LIQUIDITY RISK.

WE WOULD, WHICH IS, WE GOTTA AVOID THAT.

THAT'S, THAT'S TERRIFYING , THAT'S RESERVES TIMES MANY.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDUCE THAT BY UNDER PORTFOLIO 15, IT GOES DOWN BY $400 MILLION UNDER PORTFOLIO 16, IT GOES BY DOWN A BILLION DOLLARS.

IT'S ACTUALLY CHEAPER UNDER PORTFOLIO 16, 290 MILLION IS YOUR LIQUIDITY RISK VERSUS THE, THE, THE PORTFOLIO WITH THE GAS PEAKERS AT 444.

SO THERE ARE EVEN MORE COST EFFECTIVE METHODS FROM A LIQUIDITY CHALLENGE, AND THAT CARRIES THROUGH TO THE SUMMER.

LOOKING AT THE, THE BACK CASTING OF OUR SUMMER LIQUIDITY UNDER THE VARIOUS PORTFOLIOS, WE'RE SAVING MORE THAN 50%.

AND IN EVERY SINGLE INSTANCE, MORE DEMAND RESPONSE, MORE EFFICIENCY, MORE SOLAR BATTERIES IS CHEAPER, LESS LIQUIDITY RISK THAN IT IS UNDER THE GAS PLAN.

SO ONCE AGAIN, I STRUGGLE SITTING HERE TO UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN SAY THE PLAN WITH THE PEAKERS IS THE MOST RELIABLE, IS THE MOST AFFORDABLE.

AND NOW CERTAINLY WE ALL ACKNOWLEDGE IS NOT THE MOST ENTER OR ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, RIGHT? IT'S, WE HAVE SEEN THE CHARTS OF THE EMISSIONS.

YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN, IN THE EMISSIONS.

AND I THINK IT'S REALLY HARD FOR PEOPLE TO CONCEPTUALIZE WHAT, WHAT IS A MILLION METRIC TONS OF CO2, RIGHT? IT'S 6.2 MILLION VERSUS 7.2 MILLION.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? WELL, I THINK WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IS IT MEANS THAT THERE'S A MILLION LESS METRIC TONS IN DISTRICT ONE OR IN DISTRICT TWO WHERE THESE POWER PLANTS ARE ALWAYS LOCATED.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE HISTORY OF OUR CITY, HOLLY MILLER, SANDHILL DECKER, ALL

[01:15:01]

EAST AUSTIN, RIGHT? THESE ARE NOT GONNA BE LOCATED IN IN WESTLAKE IN TARRYTOWN IF THEY'RE NOT.

SO WE HAVE TO SET OURSELVES UP FOR NOT CONTINUING TO POLLUTE THESE COMMUNITIES.

AND I, I WAS GONNA ASK YOU, AND YOU YOU BROUGHT IT UP, WHAT HAPPENED IN LAST SUMMER WITH ERCOT CALLING A RUCK, WE WEREN'T PLANNING ON USING THEM.

AND ERCOT PICKED UP THE PHONE AND SAID, YOU HAVE TO DO IT.

WELL, WE CAN PUT ALL THE GUARDRAILS WE WANT ON THESE PEAKERS AND ERCOT TOMORROW.

THE MINUTE WE WE BUY THEM COULD SAY, HEY, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT PLANNING, THAT'S NOT WITHIN YOUR GUARDRAILS.

YOU GOTTA RUN IT.

WE HAVE THAT AUTHORITY.

AND IT MAY BE FOR AN HOUR, IT MAY BE FOR THREE HOURS, BUT WHAT'S TO STOP THAT HAPPENING DAY AFTER DAY? AND I KNOW IT'S NOT COMMON, I KNOW ERCOT DOESN'T LIKE TO DO IT, BUT IF WE FIND OURSELVES WITH THE ENERGY NEEDS THAT PROFESSOR WEBER WAS SHOWING US WHERE WE ARE OUTSTRIPPING OUR GENERATION IS, IS NOT MEETING DEMAND.

YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT HAPPENING MORE AND MORE AND MORE.

AND SO THERE IS ONE WAY WE CAN BE SURE THOSE PEAKERS DON'T RUN, IS BY NOT BUYING THEM.

THAT'S THE ONLY WAY.

AND WHAT I, WHAT I WANT TO ALSO HIGHLIGHT IS THE RMR SITUATION.

SO RMR RELIABILITY MUST RUN, ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH WHAT'S GOING ON? UM, YOU MUST, I'M SURE IN SAN ANTONIO WITH THEIR CPS IS TRYING TO CLOSE SOME OF THEIR GENERATION UNITS.

AND ERCOT HAS TOLD THEM, SORRY FOR LIABILITY PURPOSES, WE NEED YOU TO KEEP THESE UNITS IN THE MIX.

AND THEY ARE WORKING ON A PLAN TO COME TO SOME AGREEMENT.

BUT ULTIMATELY, AND THIS IS THE QUESTION WE HAVE WITH FAYETTE, RIGHT? WE NEED ERCOT PERMISSION TO RETIRE A GENERATION FACILITY.

IS THAT NOT A CORRECT OR COST HAS TO APPROVE THE RETIREMENT OF ALL YEAH, ALL RETIREMENTS.

AND SO IF THEY SAY FOR RELIABILITY REASONS, WE WANT YOU TO KEEP IT, THEN WHETHER OR NOT WE SAY WE WANT THESE PEAKERS FOR ONE YEAR, FIVE YEAR, 10 YEAR, WHATEVER, THEY CAN ALWAYS SAY, SORRY, WE NEED IT.

THIS GRID NEEDS THAT EXTRA GENERATION.

SO YOU MAY WANT TO GET RID OF IT, BUT YOU CAN'T.

AND SO AS I LOOK AT ALL THE VARIOUS PRIORITIES, RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, ENVIRONMENT, I JUST, I CAN'T GET THERE.

I DON'T, I DON'T SEE IT.

AND SO THE LAST PIECE I WANT TO ADDRESS, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE DMV STUDY AND THE DMV STUDY ANALYZED, PROPOSED, OR POTENTIAL EN ENERGY EFFICIENCY, DEMAND RESPONSE POSSIBILITIES WITHIN OUR LOAD ZONE.

AND WHAT REALLY CONCERNS ME AS IT RELATES TO THE DMV STUDY IS IF YOU LOOK AT ONE OF THE, THE QUESTIONS IN THE, IN THE RESPONSE ABOUT WHAT WAS ASSUMED IN, WHAT WERE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS IN GETTING TO THESE NUMBERS AND THE ASSUMPTIONS WERE OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS PLUS POTENTIALLY ADDING WATER HEATERS AND BATTERY STORAGE.

AND I, I THINK THEY'RE REALLY MISSING THE POTENTIAL, THE POTENTIAL OUTSIDE OF OUR CURRENT PROGRAMS. I SPOKE WITH PROFESSOR WEBER WHO, UM, YOU KNOW, SHARES THIS CONCERN THAT, THAT FROM A DEMAND RESPONSE PERSPECTIVE, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS DEPLOYED A PROGRAM THAT IS NOT, IT, IT IT'S YESTERDAY'S THINK, RIGHT? WE DON'T PAY PEOPLE FOR ACTUALLY DOING DEMAND RESPONSE, RIGHT? WE PAY THEM TO PARTICIPATE.

YOU GET $85 FOR YOUR THERMOSTAT, YOU GET HOWEVER MANY DOLLARS FOR PARTICIPATING FOR THE YEAR.

BUT IF YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY CALL, YOU COULD TURN YOUR THERMOSTAT RIGHT BACK UP, NO FINANCIAL PENALTY.

AND YOU DON'T, YOU SEE THAT, THAT THAT VERY MARGINAL BENEFIT, ONE TIME A YEAR,

[01:20:01]

OTHER UTILITIES WILL PAY FOR PERFORMANCE.

SO PRICES SPIKE, WE NEED YOU TO REDUCE YOUR ENERGY, WE'RE GONNA PAY YOU X DOLLARS AND PEOPLE DO IT.

I HAVE BROTHER-IN-LAW, LIVES IN ARIZONA, GETS IT ON HIS PHONE, YES.

PARTICIPATE, NO, NOT PARTICIPATE.

THE PRICE SIGNAL MATCHES THE NEED.

AND I THINK WE ARE, WE ARE MISSING THAT IN THE COMMERCIAL PROGRAM.

WE DO THAT.

I THINK IT'S REALLY FASCINATING THAT WE SEE THE BENEFITS OF THE COMMERCIAL PROGRAM WHERE WE MATCH PRICE SIGNAL TO DESIRED RESULT.

BUT WE'RE NOT DEPLOYING THAT FROM A RESIDENTIAL PERSPECTIVE.

AND WHEN THE PROFESSOR AND I TALKED ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF POTENTIAL AND, AND KIND OF GOING OVER VARIOUS MODELING, WE ARE POTENTIALLY LEAVING HUNDREDS OF MEGAWATTS ON THE TABLE FROM A DEMAND RESPONSE PERSPECTIVE ALONE FROM AN EFFICIENCY PERSPECTIVE, ONCE AGAIN, WE'RE NOT, DNV WAS STUDYING UNDER OUR CURRENT RESTRICTIONS, NOT UNDER DOING SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING INNOVATIVE, SOMETHING BIGGER.

AND SO WHEN WE JUST AS, UH, ACCEPT THAT THIS IS THE TOP, THIS IS AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO, WELL, THAT'S ONLY IF WE KEEP DOING WHAT WE'RE DOING INSTEAD OF THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX, DEPLOYING NEW TECHNOLOGY, NEW WAYS OF THINKING ABOUT THIS.

AND SO LOOKING THEN BACK AT SOME OF THESE PROPOSALS, WE COULD PRIORITIZE, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU TALKED ABOUT PRIORITIZING, DEMAND, SIDE MANAGEMENT, ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

SO IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANNA DO, THEN WHY NOT OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS REALLY DO THAT? SAY, HERE'S OUR GOAL, WE'RE GONNA, ALL THE PORTFOLIOS 15, 16, 17, THEY'RE ALL THE SAME WHEN IT COMES TO BATTERIES, DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LET'S PRIORITIZE THOSE.

LET'S SET THESE GOALS.

WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A DECISION ON WHETHER OR NOT TO DEPLOY THIS ADDITIONAL GAS GENERATION.

WE CAN SEE HOW MUCH LOCAL SOLAR, MAYBE WE DECIDE WE WANT TO UP THE SOLAR STANDARD OFFER SO THAT WE GET A LOT MORE UPTAKE, BOTH FROM A RESIDENTIAL AND A COMMERCIAL PERSPECTIVE.

AND, AND THAT IS VERY LIKELY TO BE MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN POTENTIALLY SPENDING $150 MILLION ON THESE PEAKER UNITS.

SO I THINK THERE'S A, THERE'S AN ARTIFICIAL URGENCY.

WE HAVE THE TOOLS TO MOVE FORWARD OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS, PRIORITIZING THE THINGS WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE AND MAKE AN ULTIMATE DECISION ABOUT DOING SOMETHING THAT'S NOT CONSISTENT WITH THE VALUES, THE DESIRES OF THIS COMMUNITY.

AND SO, I'M SORRY TO TALK AT YOU.

I, I HAD LESS QUESTIONS THAN I DID STATEMENTS AND, AND THAT IS MY APOLOGY.

BUT I THINK IT'S, I THINK IT'S CRITICAL.

I JUST, I CAN'T, I LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON NOW AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL.

WE ALL KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON AT THE STATE LEVEL.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REGULATORY ENVIRONMENT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE A YEAR FROM NOW, THREE YEARS FROM NOW, WE'VE GOTTA DO MORE.

LIKE WE, NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO DO IT FOR US.

AND IT'S MY GENERATION, IT'S MY MY CHILDREN'S GENERATION THAT ARE GONNA FEEL IT.

AND I JUST, I CAN'T LIVE WITH MYSELF IF I'M NOT DOING EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO BE PART OF THE SOLUTION INSTEAD OF CONTINUING TO BE PART OF THE PROBLEM.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS.

AND I THINK WE ALL SHARE THEM.

WE ARE ALL HOPING TO BRING THIS TO A GOOD CONCLUSION IN AND MAKE DECISIONS THAT WILL BENEFIT ALL OF US NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE.

I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER THANK YOU FOR YOUR STATEMENTS WOULD, WELL, I'M NOT, I'M NOT QUITE FINISHED AND I APPRECIATE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO FINISH HERE IN JUST A SECOND.

YOU, IF YOU WOULD ALLOW ME, WE HAVE LOTS OF TIME TODAY AND SO I, I DON'T REALLY APPRECIATE BEING INTERRUPTED, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO LIKE OFFER TO BE ABLE TO FINISH COUNSEL.

I'M SORRY, THIS IS EXCUSE SPEAK COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.

I'M THE CHAIR OF THIS MEETING.

I HAVE THE FLOOR AND UNTIL I YIELD THE FLOOR, THEN YOU MAY HAVE IT BACK.

BUT THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE THAT YOU'RE CUTTING ME OFF BECAUSE YOU DON'T AGREE WITH WHAT I'M SAYING.

I DIS I I UH, NO, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT OKAY.

I'M SORRY.

I HAVE THE FLOOR.

I HAVE NOT GIVEN UP THE FLOOR.

AND TO BE INTERRUPTED BECAUSE I WOULD LIKE TO ASK DON'T, LIKE WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS NOT OKAY.

YOU ARE CHARACTERIZING A POSITION THAT I DO NOT HOLD.

WHAT I WAS GOING TO ASK WAS, WE

[01:25:01]

ALLOW THE STAFF TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ARE ASKING AND TO RESPOND TO YOUR STATEMENTS SO THAT WE CAN ALSO HEAR FROM THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE DIOCESE SO THEY CAN ALSO PARTICIPATE.

AND, AND THEN WE ALSO BE HEARING FROM THE COMMUNITY AND WE WILL TAKE A, A ROUND OF QUESTIONS AND MAKE STATEMENTS FROM THE DAIS AFTER WE HAVE ALSO HEARD FROM THE SPEAKERS.

SO WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK IN FRONT OF US.

WE ALL AGREE WITH THAT COUNCIL MEMBER.

AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONCLUDE YOUR STATEMENT AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS, THEN I WILL MOVE TO THE NEXT TWO COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO HAVE INDICATED THAT THEY HAVE QUESTIONS.

AND THEN WE WILL TAKE THE SPEAKERS, UM, AND CONTINUE WITH THE, UH, APPROPRIATE PROCESS OF THIS COMMITTEE MEETING.

WELL, I THINK THIS ISSUE IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO PRETEND LIKE IT'S NOT 10 40 IN THE MORNING AND THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE DAY TO GIVE THIS THE LEVEL OF IMPORTANCE THAT IT DESERVES.

I WHOLLY DISAGREE WITH, BUT I'VE BEEN, BEEN KNOCKED OFF MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT.

BUT I THINK, I THINK IT'S CLEAR, PART OF THE PROCESS HERE IS TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK WITH OUR COLLEAGUES ALL TOGETHER, RIGHT? I, I DON'T HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK TO EVERYBODY LIKE YOU DO.

AND SO THIS IS MY CHANCE TO BE ABLE TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION AND WE HAVE TO DO IT PUBLICLY AND THAT'S GREAT BECAUSE THIS AFFECTS THE PUBLIC.

AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING THIS CONVERSATION AS A GROUP, CONTINUING TO SHOW THE IMPORTANCE AND THE LEVEL OF IMPACT AND, AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS DECISION BECAUSE IT'S A GENERATIONAL DECISION.

IT'S NOT JUST A GENERATION PLAN.

AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE, YOU'VE DONE.

I REALLY DO.

I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO SOLVE A VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM.

I JUST DON'T AGREE WITH THE SOLUTION.

AND IT'S MY HOPE THAT WE HAVE OPTIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT THIS DAIS CAN WORK OUT TO ALLOW FOR US TO PUT FORWARD SOLUTIONS THAT MEET, MEET THE MOMENT.

THE CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.

COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER.

AND I WANTED TO POINT OUT FOR EVERYBODY THE INFORMATION THAT HAS, UM, BEEN DISCUSSED HERE AND THAT COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER HAS BEEN TALKING ABOUT, WAS PRESENTED TO THE EUC IN PRESENTATIONS LAST NIGHT.

THE LARGER BODY, THIS DAIS HAS NOT RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION YET.

AND SO I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD WHERE , WHERE THAT THOSE DETAILS WERE COMING FROM.

BECAUSE MANY OF US ON THE DAIS HERE WERE A BIT AT A LOSS TO KNOW WHAT HE WAS REFERRING TO.

WE WILL GET THIS PRESENTATION, IT WILL BE PROVIDED TO US.

THOSE WHO WANT TO LOOK AT IT RIGHT NOW CAN LOOK AT THE BACKUP FROM THE EUC MEETING LAST NIGHT.

BUT AGAIN, THIS WAS INFORMATION THAT, THAT WE HAD NOT YET RECEIVED.

I APPRECIATE THE, UM, DIGGING INTO THOSE DETAILS THAT MY COLLEAGUE HAS BROUGHT THIS MORNING, BUT I DID WANT TO EXPLAIN TO EVERYONE THAT WE, UM, NEED TO DO SOME OF THAT READING OURSELVES TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND APPROPRIATELY.

AND IS THERE ANY COMMENT OR RESPONSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MS. MARTIN AT THIS POINT? UM, GIVE YOU SOME TIME FOR THAT.

AND THEN I WILL CALL ON COUNCIL MEMBER Z CADRE AND COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER.

AND THEN WE WILL GO TO SPEAKERS FROM THE COMMUNITY.

I, I'LL JUST TAKE A MOMENT.

I'LL JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO REITERATE THAT PRIORITIZING CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS IS THE TOP MOST GOAL A PRIORITY IN TERMS OF THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS AND DOING THE MOST WE CAN THERE.

UM, AND OUR TEAMS ARE, HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN, UH, THESE PROGRAMS THAT INCLUDE LOCAL SOLAR AND CUSTOMER SIDE OF BATTERIES, ELECTRIC VEHICLES, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, DEMAND RESPONSE AND MORE.

AND THEY'RE ALWAYS FINDING NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO INCREASE THAT.

BUT I CAN'T STAND BEFORE YOU TODAY AND PROPOSE A PLAN THAT PUTS TOO MUCH WEIGHT ON THAT ONE TOOL IN THE TOOLBOX.

THE RISKS THAT WE EXPERIENCE TODAY ARE REAL.

THE MARKET IS TELLING US THAT ERCOT IS TELLING US THAT THEY WOULDN'T CAUSE A UNIT TO COME ONLINE IF THEY DIDN'T ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.

THERE ARE CERTAIN CRITERIA THAT THEY USE TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT IT'S A TRUE RELIABILITY RISK.

AND SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING TO YOU IS A PLAN THAT GIVES ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX THAT ARE NECESSARY TO MEET THE UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH THAT WE ANTICIPATE AND

[01:30:01]

IT'S THE MOST RESPONSIBLE PLAN.

AND THE PEAKERS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INCLUDING, UM, ARE REALLY A BRIDGE TO A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

AND THEY ARE PART OF, OF WHAT IS NECESSARY TODAY.

THEY'RE SMALLER, THEY'RE MODULAR, THEY, LIKE I SAID, THEY'RE JET ENGINES AND WHEN WE DON'T NEED 'EM, WE CAN GET RID OF THEM.

WE CAN SELL THEM TO SOMEONE ELSE.

THE ONES WE HAVE TODAY, WE PURCHASED FROM ANOTHER UTILITY.

SO THE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S A FOREVER THING, UM, AND CLEANER THAN TODAY'S GENERATING UNITS.

SO IT WOULD RE RESULT IN A CLEANER SOLUTION.

SO I'LL END THERE.

AND I ALSO WANTED TO REMIND EVERYBODY BEFORE I GO TO COUNCIL MEMBER CADRY AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER ALISON ALTER ABOUT THE DATES THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE FUTURE DATES, WHICH YOU HAD ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IN YOUR PRESENTATION.

BUT JUST TO REMIND EVERYONE, UM, UH, THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE AND GENERATION PLAN ISN'T YET RELEASED, SO THAT'LL BE RELEASED ON NOVEMBER 27TH.

SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT, UH, PLAN, UH, CONTAINS.

THE EUC UM, WILL HAVE A SPECIAL CALLED MEETING ON DECEMBER 2ND.

WE HAVE A WORK SESSION DECEMBER 10.

UM, AND I WILL PULL THIS ITEM, UH, FOR, UH, DISCUSSION.

SO THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON THE PLAN, UH, AT THAT WORK SESSION DECEMBER 10.

AND THEN WE HAVE A MEETING WITH PUBLIC INPUT AGAIN ON DECEMBER 12, WHICH IS THE LAST MEETING OF THE YEAR.

AND THAT IS WHEN THIS ITEM WILL COME FOR, UH, ADDITIONAL CONVERSATION AND A VOTE DECEMBER 12.

UM, DO I HAVE THOSE DATES RIGHT, MR. YOU DO, THAT IS CORRECT.

OKAY, GREAT.

ALRIGHT, LET'S SEE.

COUNCIL MEMBER, ZOE CADRY, YOU HAD A QUESTION AND MAYBE A STATEMENT.

YEAH, I HAD HAD TWO QUESTIONS AND, AND A STATEMENT.

UM, MY FIRST QUESTION, COULD YOU ANSWER HOW CARBON CAP CARBON CAPTURE AFFECTS, UH, IMPACTS COST? HOW CARBON CAPTURE IMPACTS COST? YEAH, YEAH.

WOULD IMPACT COST? DOES IT IMPACT COST? SO, UM, CARBON CAPTURE TECHNOLOGY, THERE'S A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS YOU CAN DO IT.

UM, AND IT'S STILL IN MANY WAYS EMERGING.

IT'S NOT WIDELY USED COMMERCIALLY TODAY.

UM, AND SO WHAT WE WOULD BE, UH, THE PLAN INCLUDES THE CONCEPT OF CARBON CAPTURE UNDER CULTURE OF INNOVATION.

AND IT'S KIND OF THE ITEM OF, OF OF, YOU KNOW, IF WE GET TO THE POINT OF 2035 AND THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION, WE CAN'T GET RID OF THE PEAKERS 'CAUSE WE DON'T NEED IT.

LIKE WE EITHER WANNA GET RID OF THEM 'CAUSE WE DON'T NEED 'EM ANYMORE.

WE WANT TO HAVE REPLACE THEM WITH A DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGY, WE WANNA REPLACE IT WITH A, A CLEANER FUEL.

MAYBE THERE'S ANOTHER TWO OR THREE OTHER OPTIONS THAT I HAVEN'T HEARD ABOUT YET.

BUT IF THERE'S NO OTHER, YOU KNOW, THAT HASN'T EVEN COME TO BE YET.

BUT IF THERE'S NO OTHER OPTION AVAILABLE, CARBON CAPTURE IS THERE TO TRY TO, UH, SAY THAT WE'RE GONNA DO OUR BEST AND CLEAN UP THE REST.

AND SO I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT THE COST WILL BE AT THAT POINT IN TIME.

I, THE TECHNOLOGY IS EVOLVING ALL THE TIME.

AND THEN, UH, STAYING ON THE, ON THE PEAKERS CONVERSATION, AND I KNOW THAT'S BEEN BROUGHT UP, DO, ARE THERE, ARE THERE ANY CASES OF PEAKERS USING CARBON CAPTURE? IS, IS THAT EVEN A POSSIBLE THING TODAY? THERE'S NOT A LOT OF UNITS THAT ARE USING CARBON CAPTURE.

IN GENERAL, IT'S, IT'S JUST NOT A WIDELY USED TECHNOLOGY YET.

IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS EVOLVING AND ON THE FOREFRONT THAT WE, WE WANNA KEEP OUR EYES ON.

AND THEN, AND THEN MY, MY COMMENT, I, AND I APPRECIATE YOU ANSWERING THOSE QUESTIONS.

UH, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE A GENERAL COMMENT AFTER THE PRESENTATION JUST TO, I GUESS, SHOW MY INTEREST IN AND, AND LOOKING AT, UM, YOU KNOW, NUCLEAR BEING AN OPTION IN THE PORTFOLIO.

SO I, I APPRECIATE, UH, THOSE ON, ON THE DIOCESE MIGHT ALSO SUPPORT THAT.

I KNOW IT'S SOMETHING THAT'S COME UP, UH, WITH TALKING TO SOME FOLKS AT THE LEDGE.

UM, SO, UH, I'M JUST INTERESTED IN SEEING, UH, ADVANCED NUCLEAR BEING AN OPTION IN THE PORTFOLIO.

YEAH, I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I THINK THAT, UM, IT'S IMPORTANT TO, TO NOTE OUR CURRENT PLAN, UM, HAS A PROHIBITION AGAINST ANY NEW NUCLEAR.

AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO RECOGNIZE THAT NUCLEAR HAS CHANGED IN A NUMBER OF WAYS AND THAT THERE ARE POTENTIALLY OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY AND TO ADD TO THE PORTFOLIOS DIVERSITY EVEN MORE.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER.

TO BE PRESENTED WITH IS GOING TO BE A TOOLKIT, UM, WHICH IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAD BEFORE AND MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE PARTICULAR GOALS.

UM, FIRST I WANT TO APPRECIATE, UM, MY COLLEAGUE, UH, RYAN ALTER'S, UM, DISCUSSION AND HAVING DIVED INTO, UM, THE MATERIAL FROM LAST NIGHT, WHICH I HAVE NOT YET DONE.

AND, AND YOU RAISED A LOT OF REALLY, REALLY, UM, IMPORTANT QUESTIONS.

UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN WHATEVER PATH WE CHOOSE, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE REALLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT THE TRADE-OFFS ARE AND EXACTLY WHICH PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE.

AND I THINK, UM, I THINK WE'RE AT A CLOSER PLACE TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT THOSE CHALLENGES ARE THEN MAYBE WE WERE AT A YEAR AGO IN A, IN A BROADER COMMUNITY.

AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, UM, MAYBE A LITTLE BIT ALL OVER THE PLACE 'CAUSE MY COLLEAGUES HAVE COVERED, UM, PIECES OF WHAT I WANTED TO COVER.

UM, YOU KNOW, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UM, THE GEN PLAN THAT WE'RE GOING

[01:35:01]

AND I WANNA EXPRESS SOME CONCERN ABOUT THAT IN SO FAR AS, UM, AT THIS POINT, I THINK WE AGREE ON EVERYTHING BUT ONE BULLET.

UM, AND THEN THERE'S A QUESTION OF HOW MUCH EMPHASIS WE PUT ON OTHER BULLETS.

AND I THINK THE COMMUNITY IS REALLY ASKING US, AND I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE EXPERTS AS WELL, LIKE, WE NEED TO DO MORE OF THE DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT, WE NEED MORE OF THE BATTERIES.

WE ALSO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION AND THE DEMAND RESPONSE.

UM, I THINK THERE'S MORE TO BE DONE THAN WHAT WE'RE DOING.

YOU KNOW, I'VE OWNED AN ELECTRIC CAR, UM, NOW FOR, YOU KNOW, NINE YEARS AND I THINK WE GOT, I DON'T KNOW, FIVE YEARS IN BEFORE WE FIGURED OUT WE COULD CHARGE IT AT NIGHT AND, YOU KNOW, SET, SET IT UP AND, AND YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE NOT THE MOST TECHNOLO TECHNOLOGICALLY SAVVY, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT.

I MEAN, YOU COULD SET UP A SYSTEM WITH THE CAR DEALERS AND MAKE THEM AE CERTIFIED IF THEY, YOU KNOW, SPEND 15 MINUTES WITH EACH NEW ELECTRIC CAR OWNER ABOUT HOW YOU DO THESE THINGS.

SO YOU, YOU KNOW, HELP THE ENVIRONMENT AND MANAGE YOUR ENERGY TOTALLY APART FROM THAT, I MEAN, THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE JUST THINGS THAT WE COULD BE LEANING INTO.

AND I THINK WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY IS THAT WE WANNA LEAN INTO ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND, AND I'M GONNA NEED TO SEE A COMMITMENT IN THIS PLAN THAT WE'RE NOT JUST TAKING WHAT DMV SAYS AND SAYING, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ENOUGH AND THAT'S OUR, THAT'S OUR LIMIT.

UM, SO I, SO I WANNA SEE THOSE.

THE OTHER THING THAT I THINK IS MISSING, UM, AT LEAST AS THIS IS PRESENTED AND, AND AT THE THIS POINT, YOU'RE PRESENTING IT TO US, UM, WITH THE, WITH THE PEAKERS INCLUDED, UM, IF THEY'RE PEAKERS INCLUDED, THEY'RE GOING TO GO SOMEWHERE AND THEY'RE LIKELY TO GO IN DISTRICT ONE OR DISTRICT TWO, WHERE WE ALREADY HAVE OUR PLANS AND I DON'T THINK WE CAN PLAN AND WE CAN PUT FORWARD A GEN PLAN THAT HAS THOSE WITHOUT A VERY CLEAR SENSE OF WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THOSE COMMUNITIES, OR A PLAN TO ADDRESS THE IMPACTS ON WHICHEVER COMMUNITY WHERE THOSE WOULD BE CITED, PARTICULARLY FROM THE EMISSIONS.

IT WILL BE AN INCREASE IN EMISSIONS.

IT'S A REALITY IF THE FINANCIAL ARGUMENTS ARE THERE, AS AUSTIN ENERGY IS SAYING, THERE SHOULD BE SOME MONEY THERE TO INVEST IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, UM, TO OFFSET HAVING THOSE PEAKERS IN THOSE PLACES, BOTH FROM AN EMISSION STANDPOINT AND JUST FROM A QUALITY OF LIFE STANDPOINT.

AND THERE'S MANY DIFFERENT FORMS THAT THAT COULD TAKE.

IT COULD BE A HUGE, YOU KNOW, TREE PLANTING.

IT COULD BE CARBON CAPTURE, UM, SITUATIONS.

UM, BUT I THINK WE, WE NEED TO HAVE A CLEAR PATH THAT WHEREVER THOSE ARE GOING, AND THEY MAY NOT GO IN DISTRICT ONE OR TWO, THAT'S JUST WHAT I'M ASSUMING, UM, FROM THE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO BE PLANNING FOR THAT AND WE NEED TO BE LINKING UP, UM, WITH THE NORTHEAST PLANNING OR, OR OTHER PLANNING PROCESSES THAT ARE GOING GOING ON, UM, AS WE DO THAT.

UM, WITH RESPECT TO THE CARBON CAPTURE, UM, AND THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK THAT, THAT I ASKED YOU TO ADD IN THE TOOLKIT WHEN WE MET.

UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF THE LOCAL AIR POLLUTION AND, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT WE HAVE A FULL SENSE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THAT WHERE WE'D ADD THE PEAKERS, UM, BUT I KNOW THERE'S THE GREENHOUSE GASES AND THEN THERE'S THE OTHER AIR POLLUTANTS OF, UM, OF THE NOX, ET CETERA.

HOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT AMOUNT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? AND THIS MAY BE IN THE DOCUMENTS FROM LAST NIGHT.

WHAT AMOUNT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THAT WE WOULD BE ASKING OUR COMMUNITY TO, TO ADD, UM, IF WE WERE TO PURSUE THE PEAKERS? ARE YOU, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT NOX? YEAH.

SO, UM, WHAT WE MODELED INCLUDED, UM, PEAKERS THAT INCLUDE SCR, SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION, UM, ESSENTIALLY IT'S, IT'S TECHNOLOGY THAT'S KIND OF LIKE A CULET CONVERTER YOU'D PUT ON YOUR CAR, UH, IF YOU WERE TRYING TO REDUCE THE EMISSIONS COMING OUT OF THAT.

UM, AND IT, UH, IT ESSENTIALLY WORKS DIRECTLY TO REDUCE THE NOX EMISSIONS.

UM, DEPENDING ON, YOU KNOW, IT CAN BE UP TO 95% OF THE TIME.

USUALLY IT'S 99, 85, 90% OF THE TIME, UH, OR PERCENT OF THE EMISSIONS THAT ARE COMING OUT.

AND SO THOSE TYPES OF EMISSIONS CONTROLS ARE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY INCORPORATED INTO OUR ANALYSIS AND WE WOULD, UH, BE COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT WE INCLUDED.

UM, AND, AND CONTINUING TO LOOK AT WHAT OTHER TYPES OF EMISSIONS CONTROLS AND AIR QUALITY COMPONENTS ARE, ARE AVAILABLE TO HELP THE COMMUNITY.

UM, WE'VE ASKED OUR TEAMS TO LOOK AT WHAT COULD WE DO, UM, WITH EXISTING AND OTHER PROGRAMS TO, UH, BENEFIT WHOMEVER HAS TO LIVE NEXT TO, YOU KNOW, THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT IS NEEDED TO SERVE

[01:40:01]

OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, THE SITE IS NOT SOMETHING THAT IS KNOWN AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME.

IT, IT'S, THERE'S JUST NO WAY TO ASSUME IT.

IT'S ANALYSIS THAT HAPPENS, UM, FURTHER ON, UH, THE NEXT TIME WE WOULD RETURN TO YOU TO SAY, CAN WE BUILD, YOU KNOW, THIS UNIT IN THIS LOCATION? UM, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF PROGRAMS LIKE OUR WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM, OUR HOME ENERGY SOLUTIONS PROGRAM, UM, PARTNERING OPPORTUNITIES WITH OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND WHATNOT.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING I THINK IN THAT CASE IS WE DON'T WANT TO PRESUME WHAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD WANT OUT OF THAT.

AND SO WE'D WANNA CONTINUE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITIES THAT WOULD BE MOST AFFECTED BY THIS TO HELP THEM DEFINE THE SOLUTION.

I THINK IT WOULD BE NOT ONLY PART OF ANY PERMITTING PROCESS, BUT CERTAINLY PART OF ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, CITY PROCESS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE FIGURING OUT THE BEST POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS MOVING FORWARD.

SO, UM, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY GUARDRAILS, CONTROLS PART OF ALL OF IT.

AND I ALSO JUST WANTED TO ADDRESS YOU, YOU MADE A STATEMENT, A BROAD STATEMENT, THAT IT WOULD JUST INCREASE EMISSIONS.

I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT NEW PEAKER UNITS WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT, LESS EMITTING THAN EXISTING UNITS.

SO TODAY WHEN WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS OTHER THAN TO RUN OUR 1980S PEAKER UNITS AT DECKER OR THE, YOU KNOW, ONES FROM THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS AT SANDHILL, WE WOULD HAVE A DIFFERENT OPTION TO RUN A CLEANER SOLUTION.

AND IT'S ONLY ON THE DAYS WHEN THE PEAKS ARE AT THE HIGHEST THAT WE HAVE TO USE ALL OF THE PEAKERS, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE OUTTA THE DEFICIT AND THE RISKS THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY SITTING AT FURTHER, FURTHER HAVING, UH, THESE UNITS WOULD ALLOW US TO FURTHER AND, AND REACH OUR GOAL OF EXITING THE, IN A WAY THAT IS ACHIEVABLE.

AND SO CERTAINLY THAT'S THE LARGEST AMOUNT OF EMISSIONS IN OUR PORTFOLIO TODAY.

AND SO IT'S REALLY ABOUT LOOKING AT IT HOLISTICALLY, THE PLAN AS, UM, PROPOSED TODAY AND AS INFORMED AS WILL BE INFORMED BY YOUR FEEDBACK, UM, DOES PRESENT A CLEANER SOLUTION AND A PATH TO A CLEANER SOLUTION THAN WE HAVE TODAY.

UM, YOU JUST BROUGHT UP SEVERAL OTHER THINGS THAT WERE ON MY LIST.

SO LET'S START WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU TALK ABOUT HOW THIS WOULD BE CLEANER, AND I THINK I'VE BEEN ASKING YOU FOR A LONG TIME TO CLARIFY, IS THIS REPLACING OR NOT REPLACING? AND WHAT I'M HEARING IS WE'RE ADDING IT, BUT WE WOULD USE IT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES AND IT WOULD BE RARE IN YOUR VIEW THAT WE'D BE ADDING ALL OF THEM.

UM, BUT THERE'S STILL, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL THIS QUESTION ABOUT, UM, COULD WE, YOU KNOW, DECOMMISSION THE OTHER ONES, WOULD WE BE ABLE TO, OR ARE WE JUST ADDING ADDITIONAL EMISSIONS? AND, AND THERE'S A, A COMPLEX DYNAMIC WITH ERCOT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND BETTER, AND I'VE HEARD YOU ASSERT IT, BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT I FULLY FOLLOW HOW THAT PATH WORKS OUT.

SO MAYBE WE CAN HAVE SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THAT, UM, IN THE FUTURE ON THAT.

UM, YOU MENTIONED FAYETTE, AND THAT WAS ANOTHER THING THAT I WANTED TO MENTION IN THE TOOLKIT.

UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HEARD THE MAYOR MENTION JANUARY OF 29, YOU'VE HEARD YOU SAY, WELL, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR PRIOR PLAN HAS IT ALREADY DONE.

UM, I WANT OUT OF FAYETTE.

AND, UM, AT THIS POINT, I'M NOT HEARING THAT THIS IS GETTING US OUT OF FAYETTE.

IT'S CONTINUES TO JUST BE A WISHLIST.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I'D LOVE TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY ALONG THIS WAY THAT YOU HAVE TO MAKE, REACH SOME MILESTONES ON EXITING FAYETTE ALONG THE SAME TIME THAT YOU'RE MOVING ALONG THE PATH, UM, TO PEAKERS OR, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S JUST, THERE'S A LOT OF UNCERTAINTY THERE, AND I, AND I'M NOT, UM, I'D LIKE TO BE MORE CONFIDENT THAT WE ARE REALLY LEANING INTO THAT.

UM, SO I WOULD ASK THAT WE COULD HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ABOUT FAYETTE BEFORE WE MAKE THIS GEN PLAN, UM, DECISION.

UM, I AGREE THAT IF WE GOT OUT OF FAYETTE AND WE WERE NOT USING OUR OTHER PEAKERS AND WE WERE TRANSITIONING PEOPLE TO ELECTRIC CARS AND WE WERE MOVING PEOPLE INTO TO BUILDINGS AND WE WERE POWERING THAT WITH THE PEAKERS ON NET, YOU'D HAVE LESS EMISSIONS.

I, I UNDERSTAND THAT AND, AND AGREE WITH THAT, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF IFS IN THERE OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING.

AND, AND IN, IN THE PLAN, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE SOME MILESTONES OF ACHIEVING CERTAIN THINGS, EVEN AT THE SAME TIME THAT YOU MAY HAVE AN ABILITY TO EXPLORE, UM, THE PEAKERS, IF THAT IS THE ROUTE THAT THE DAAS DECIDES TO GO IN.

UM, I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SUPPORT PEAKERS WITHOUT HAVING, I I KNOW FOR SURE WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE MILESTONES ON THESE OTHER THINGS SO THAT ON NET WE ARE REDUCING EMISSIONS AND, AND, AND WE, UM, I THINK THERE'S A WAY TO DO THAT.

AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS AND YOU'VE SAID THAT, BUT I'M NOT HEARING

[01:45:01]

WHAT THAT PATH IS YET.

UM, AND SO MAYBE, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN, AND, AND MAYBE YOU COULD SPEAK TO THIS NOW, CAN YOU BREAK DOWN FOR THE PEAKERS WHAT THE DIFFERENT STAGES ARE? I UNDERSTAND THAT UNDER THE CURRENT PLAN, YOU CAN'T EVEN TAKE THE NEXT STEP, BUT YOU KNOW, WITH A LOT OF DIFFERENT DECISIONS, THERE'S MANY, MANY DIFFERENT DECISION POINTS AND THERE'S CERTAIN DOLLARS ATTACHED TO DIFFERENT POINTS, AND WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY CHANGING AND A FEDERAL ENVIRONMENT CHANGING AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS.

IT, IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO KNOW WHAT THOSE TOUCH POINTS ARE AND WHAT THE ESTIMATED COSTS ARE AT EACH POINT.

SO WE KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T WANT TO GET A POINT WHERE WE HAVE SAID, OH, WELL, WE SPENT THIS MUCH MONEY, SO WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING THAT WE DON'T REALLY NEED TO DO ANYMORE.

AND SO AS PART OF THAT PLAN, WE NEED THAT.

AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN SPEAK AT ALL TO THOSE STAGES FOR THE PEAKERS.

ARE JET ENGINES, RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY'RE HIGHLY MOBILE.

SO, UM, YOU TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN THERE.

YEAH, NO, I'M SORRY.

AND THAT'S OKAY.

UM, AND, AND SO WE ARE AT A DEFICIT IN TERMS OF BEING ABLE TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY TODAY WITHOUT, UM, THE, THE COST, THE EXTREME COST AND THE AFFORDABILITY, I'M SORRY, AND THE RELIABILITY RISK THAT WE FACE.

UM, AND SO, UH, YOU TALKED A LOT ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE GET OUT OF FA IT, RIGHT? UM, YOU, YOU, WITH THE TOOLS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR TOOLBOX TODAY, AND THE PLAN THAT WE HAVE TODAY, IT, THE, THE PATH IS, IS IT'S, I DON'T SEE A PATH, RIGHT? IT'S VERY, VERY HARD BECAUSE, UM, THAT UNIT IS THERE TO HELP, UH, HELP NOT ONLY FROM A RELIABILITY PERSPECTIVE ACROSS ALL OF ERCOT, BUT ALSO IT, IT KEEPS THE CO IT'S, IT'S THERE WHEN THE COST, WHEN DEMAND IS REALLY HIGH.

AND THAT'S THE ONLY TIME WHEN WE RUN IT RIGHT NOW AT ITS PEAK LEVELS.

OTHERWISE WE RUN IT AT ITS MINIMUM LEVELS.

UM, AND SO THE TOOLS, YOU NEED MORE TOOLS IN YOUR TOOLKIT TO BE ABLE TO ENABLE THAT, RIGHT? AND YOU'RE SAYING, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ADD THOSE TOOLS IN, IN A VERY THOUGHTFUL MANNER, RIGHT? AND SO THE, THE, THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME TO ACTUALLY GET TO THE POINT WHERE SOMETHING IS BUILT.

AND SO YOU START WITH THE BATTERY STORAGE, RIGHT? THAT, THAT IS, UH, UH, SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE A LITTLE BIT FASTER, UM, IN, IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.

THOSE PHYSICALLY THEY CAN BE BUILT FASTER.

UM, AND THEN, BUT IN THE MEANTIME, YOU START DOWN A PATH OF WHILE YOU'RE DOING YOUR MAXIMUM CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS, AS, AS MUCH AS YOU CAN KEEP WORKING ON ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS, UM, AND FIGURING OUT, YOU KNOW, NEW AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ADD TO IT, BUT YOU CAN'T REALLY WAIT TO START, UM, ON THE LAST PIECE OF IT BECAUSE THERE'S PERMITTING, THERE'S SITING, THERE'S ANALYSIS, THERE'S THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMPONENTS OF IT.

AND YES, THERE CAN BE STAGE GATES ALONG THE WAY TO SAY, UH, BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR DOWN THIS PATH, WHERE DO WE STAND? IS THAT RISK STILL THERE? DO WE STILL NEED TO MOVE FORWARD? IS THIS THE RIGHT TOOL TO PUT IN OUR TOOLKIT? AND SO I JUST WANNA ALSO REMIND YOU THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE DECISIONS COME BEFORE YOU AS A COUNCIL.

SO, AND I WOULD FEEL A LOT BETTER IF WE HAD MARKED DOWN A SENSE OF WHAT THOSE DECISIONS ARE AND SOME BALLPARK OF WHAT THE COSTS ARE AT EACH STAGE AND SOME SENSE OF TIMING.

I KNOW IT WILL SHIFT.

UM, BUT ABSENT THAT, IT, YOU KNOW, IT FEELS LIKE WE ARE AUTHORIZING ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND, YOU KNOW, A YEAR FROM NOW SOMETHING COULD CHANGE DRAMATICALLY.

UM, OR, YOU KNOW, WE'LL KNOW MAYBE IF THE GEOTHERMAL'S WORKING OR YOU KNOW, LIKE THERE'S THINGS THAT MAY SHIFT, UM, IN, IN EITHER DIRECTION AND, AND WE MAY, WE MAY NEED TO DO THAT.

SO I THINK, I THINK WE NEED, WE NEED TO KNOW THOSE THINGS, UM, IN ORDER TO MAKE OUR DECISION, AND THAT NEEDS TO BE BUILT INTO THE GEN PLAN THAT CERTAIN OTHER GOALS HAVE TO BE MET AS WE'RE MEETING THESE OTHER THINGS SO THAT WE CAN BE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE PRESENTING TO THE COMMUNITY AS IF WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING.

UM, BUT I THINK THERE'S STILL A SKEPTICISM ABOUT WHETHER WE'RE GONNA GO FAR ENOUGH ON DEMAND RESPONSE IF WE'RE GONNA GO FAR ENOUGH ON SOLAR.

UM, WE HAVE PROGRAMS IN PLACE THAT CAN GET US THERE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO PROVE TO THE COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE REACHING, REACHING THESE LEVELS.

AND I THINK SOMETHING THAT PROVIDED SOME GUARDRAILS ALONG THAT LINES, UM, WOULD, WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, IN THAT.

UM, AND IF WE CAN ALSO UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW LONG THE PEAKER'S LIFE SPAN IS, I MEAN, YOU SAID, OH, WELL WE CAN JUST SELL THEM, BUT THEN WE ALSO SAID THAT ERCOT CAN TELL US WE CAN'T DECOMMISSION, SO, WHICH IS, OKAY, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, INFRASTRUCTURE HAS A LIFESPAN THAT AS LONG AS YOU'RE MAINTAINING IT CAN STAY.

SO A LOT OF TIMES IT'S, YOU KNOW, DECADES IF YOU WILL.

BUT THE POINT IS, IS THAT THESE AREN'T UNITS THAT ONCE YOU, LIKE, YOU'RE STUCK HAVING BECAUSE THEY ARE SMALLER, THEY ARE MORE MODULAR, AS I MENTIONED, OUR EXISTING PEAKER UNITS WE PURCHASED FROM OTHER UTILITIES WHEN WE HAD A NEED TO BUY THEM.

[01:50:01]

THEY WERE PUT ON THE SIDE OF A, OF AN AIRPLANE AND THEY FLY FROM HERE TO NEW YORK.

UM, AND, AND SO WE CAN'T, IF WE DON'T NEED THEM, THEN WE CAN SELL THEM, RIGHT? EVERY TIME YOU LOOK TO, UH, SHUT DOWN A UNIT, ERCOT ASSESSES THE RELIABILITY IMPACT TO THE GRID.

AND IF THEY, THERE'S NO OTHER WAY THAN TO KEEP THAT UNIT RUNNING, THEN THEY SAY YOU HAVE TO KEEP IT.

UM, UH, THAT, YOU KNOW, IS, IS SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE ASSESSING DOWN IN SAN ANTONIO, UM, AT SOME PLANTS RIGHT NOW.

BUT IF WE PUT THE RIGHT TOOLS IN OUR TOOLKIT, THEN WE WILL BE ABLE TO, UH, KEEP WHAT REALLY IN, IN, IN THE, YOU KNOW, UH, SCENARIO THAT WE'RE HAVING IS RIGHT NOW WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HAVING THESE UNITS, UM, TO, UH, I, I GET THE, THE, THE NEW REPLACEMENT KIND OF CONFUSION.

THINK ABOUT IT ON MOST DAYS AS THESE NEW YEAR UNITS WOULD BE REPLACING OUR EXISTING UNITS, RIGHT? AND THEN YOU'D HAVE YOUR EXISTING UNITS AS BACKUP FOR THE WORST KIND OF DAYS, RIGHT? SO THAT'S ULTIMATELY THE CLEANER SOLUTION.

AND MAYBE THERE'S A PATH AS, AS TECHNOLOGY EVOLVES, THE FLEXIBILITY THAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SAY, LOOK, THERE'S A GAME CHANGER.

SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED DIFFERENTLY, NOW WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S THE PATH TO RETIRING THOSE UNITS.

AND, AND SO WHETHER IT'S THE OLDER UNITS OR YOUR NEWER UNITS, WE'RE NOT LOCKED INTO ANYTHING.

UM, AND SO I, I HOPE THAT HELPS.

YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK THE MODELS ASSUME THE OTHER, THE OLD ONES GET RETIRED.

AND SO THAT'S WHAT I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M STRUGGLING WITH HOW WE DEAL WITH THIS ERCOT PIECE HERE, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S A VERY REAL, UM, REALITY.

UM, SO AGAIN, I WOULD LIKE AN EXEC SESSION ON, ON, ON FAYETTE.

I WOULD LIKE, UM, US TO, UM, MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE MAKING AS PART OF THIS PLAN, EVEN IF WE DON'T HAVE THE EXACT STEPS THAT WE'RE TAKING, BUT CERTAIN COMMITMENTS THAT WE'RE MAKING TO WHEREVER THESE ARE CITED, UM, ON THE EFFORTS TO ADDRESS ANY EMISSIONS AND ANY QUALITY OF LIFE IMPACTS.

UM, I WANT TO REALLY BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND AND SEE GUARDRAILS ON THE PEAKERS IF WE WERE TO PROCEED WITH THAT.

UM, AND, UM, YOU KNOW, UNDERSTANDING KIND OF HOW WE'RE ADDRESSING THE EMISSIONS PIECES, UM, AND NOT JUST OZONE, BUT ALSO THE OTHER POLLUTANTS.

UM, AND, AND IT'D BE VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME MORE INFORMATION AGAIN ABOUT HOW YOU MAKE THIS DYNAMIC WITH ERCOT AND THE ABILITY TO SHUT THEM DOWN, KIND OF, KIND OF HAPPENING.

UM, AND THEN AS WE DO THE TOOLKIT, IT NEEDS TO NOT JUST BE, OKAY, HERE'S OUR SET OF TOOLS LIKE WE NEED TO HAVE, IF WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE GOALS, WE NEED TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA HELP US SEE THAT WE'RE MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION AND THAT WE'RE ACCELERATING AND MOVING.

WE'VE PUSHED THAT AND DONE THAT IN EVERY GENERATION PLAN TO DATE.

AND WE HAVE BEEN ABLE WITH A LOT OF THESE TO ACHIEVE, UM, THE GOALS.

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO ALWAYS ACHIEVE THE GOALS, BUT I KNOW THAT IF WE DON'T SET THE GOAL, WE'RE NOT GONNA, WE'RE DEFINITELY NOT GONNA GET THERE.

UM, SO I'D LIKE TO TO SEE, UM, ALL OF THOSE THINGS HAPPEN, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

I MAY HAVE MORE QUESTIONS AFTER THE SPEAKERS 'CAUSE I KNOW THAT THEY'RE GONNA BRING A LOT OF INFORMATION AND APPRECIATE EVERYONE BEING HERE WITH US THIS MORNING.

SECOND COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS WHEN WE, WHEN WE CONTINUE AFTER SPEAKERS? SURE.

COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER AND THANKS EVERYBODY FOR, UH, DIGGING IN AND SOME GOOD QUESTIONS TO KIND OF LAY THE GROUNDWORK.

AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO HEAR FROM THE SPEAKERS.

UM, I'D LIKE TO RELY ON THE, UH, CITY CLERK TO CALL THE NAMES CHAIR, OR AMY WILL YOU BE CALLING THE NAMES, BUT I'LL CALL THE NAMES, BUT THANK YOU SOMEONE THANK YOU ON THE DIOCESE.

I JUST WANNA, I ALSO HAVE QUESTIONS, BUT I'M HAPPY TO ASK THEM AFTER THE SPEAKERS, IF YOU, RIGHT.

THAT'S, THAT'S, UH, I THINK WHERE WE'RE MOVING AT THIS POINT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE SPEAKERS AND HAVE A SECOND ROUND OF QUESTIONS FROM EVERYBODY AFTER WE HEAR FROM THE COMMUNITY.

USUALLY WE WOULD BE HEARING FROM THE SPEAKERS BEFORE WE TALKED, BUT, UM, BECAUSE THERE WERE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE PRESENTATION, WE KIND OF SHIFTED THINGS AROUND A LITTLE BIT THIS MORNING.

SO NOW WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO HEAR FROM SPEAKERS.

WE HAVE ABOUT, WHAT, ABOUT 36 OR 39 SPEAKERS.

EVERYBODY WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO TALK WITH US.

I WILL, UH, THEN COME BACK TO THE DAIS FOR ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS THAT, UM, MY COLLEAGUES HERE WILL HAVE.

UH, IF THERE ARE ANY ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS THAT PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE, UH, BRIEF STATEMENTS, THEN WE WILL DO THAT.

UM, AND THEN I WILL REMIND EVERYONE, UM, ABOUT THE FUTURE DATES FOR ENGAGEMENT BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T YET SEEN THE PLAN AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S AMPLE TIME FOR INPUT AND DISCUSSION ONCE WE SEE THE PLAN.

AND AS A REMINDER, THE PLAN WILL BE RELEASED, UH, NOVEMBER 27.

SO YES, WE'LL WRAP AROUND AND, AND I'LL, UH, YOUR NAME IS ON MY LIST TO CALL CHAIR.

WOULD YOU, UM, COULD YOU SHARE WITH WITH US THE LIST OF WHO YOU HAVE IN THE QUEUE? UM, WHO WILL, UM, RESUME

[01:55:01]

IF Y'ALL WILL JUST INDICATE WHO WANTS TO SPEAK, THEN I'LL JUST CALL YOU IN.

I KNOW COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES HAS HER HAND RAISED.

I HAVE MINE RAISED, I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ORDER IS, RIGHT? AND, AND I WILL CALL THAT OUT.

AND THEN I THINK COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS MAY HAVE AN ADDITIONAL QUESTION I DID, AND I'LL SEE IF ANY OF IT'S COVERED WITH OTHER COUNCIL MEMBER QUESTIONS.

SO MAYBE JUST PLUG ME INTO THE BACK OF THAT LIST.

EVERYBODY WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO.

AWESOME.

TO WEIGH IN.

'CAUSE COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER ALSO SAID THAT SHE HAD SOME QUESTIONS AND I HAVEN'T EVEN LOOKED DOWN THIS WAY RECENTLY, AND I'M SURE THERE'S SOME ADDITIONAL, SO I'M GLAD TO SEE SO MUCH ENGAGEMENT.

IT, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, LET'S SEE.

OKAY, LET'S MOVE TO SPEAKERS IF YOU WOULD HELP US.

FIRST SPEAKER IS AL BRADEN, AND AFTER AL IS OLGA TOVA.

AND THEN KABA WHITE, IF Y'ALL COULD COME DOWN TOWARD THE FRONT, PLEASE.

I'LL COME TO THIS FRONT, UH, LINE OF CHAIRS AS YOUR NAME IS CALLED, AND THEN GRAB, UH, THE PODIUM, MIKE, AND EACH OF YOU WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.

MR. BRADEN, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING.

YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, SIR.

UH, GOOD MORNING, MAYOR PRO TEMP POOL, MAYOR WATSON, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF.

I'M AL BRADEN, A DISTRICT SEVEN VOTER AND AUSTIN ENERGY SHAREHOLDER.

I WANNA THANK YOU CHAIR POOLE, UH, FOR EXTENDING TO THE ALL THE REST OF THE SPEAKERS THIS MORNING.

I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT, THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THIS PROGRAM AND, AND WANT TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY.

SO THANK YOU.

UH, MY SOLAR SEA GAS SNOW SHIRT IS NOW NINE YEARS OLD, AND I REALLY, REALLY WANT TO RETIRE IT.

I ALSO REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT AUSTIN RENEWS ITS COMMITMENTS TO SOLAR AND NOW BATTERIES IN THE NEW GENERATION PLAN, AND THAT IT REJECTS ANY NEW FOSSIL FUEL BURNING PLANTS.

RIGHT HERE I'VE GOT A PICTURE OF CHRIS RILEY.

HE WAS ONE OF AUSTIN'S VISIONARY CLIMATE LEADERS, A COUNCIL MEMBER IN 2014 WHO LED THE FIGHT TO SAY THAT WE WOULDN'T HAVE ANY MORE FOSSIL FUELS AFTER 2030.

THAT PLAN MOVED INTO 2035 THAT WE'VE ALL AGREED ON.

UNFORTUNATELY, COUNCIL MEMBER RILEY IS NO LONGER WITH US, BUT HIS LEGACY CARRIES ON IN MANY OF THE CLIMATE LEADERS ON TODAY'S COUNCIL AND MANY OF THOSE NEWLY ELECTED, AND HE LIVES ON IN AUSTIN'S ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT.

IN 2015, A DELEGATION OF CITY LEADERS WENT TO THE COP 21 PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT, COMMITTING THE WORLD TO FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE.

HERE'S COUNCIL MEMBER POOLE, MAYOR ADLER, COMMISSIONER SHEA, AND FORMER EUC CHAIRMAN MICHAEL OSBORNE.

AMONG OTHERS, PARA SYMBOLIZED A WORLD EFFORT TO STOP THE GLOBAL CLIMATE TEMPERATURE RISE AT TWO DEGREES AND 1.5 DEGREES IF POSSIBLE TODAY.

OOPS.

TODAY I TURNED OFF THE PICTURE TODAY.

WE'VE ALREADY REACHED THAT 1.5 DEGREE LIFETIME LIMIT THIS YEAR.

RIGHT NOW, THE WORLD'S OIL AND GAS MINISTERS ARE MEETING AT COP 29 TO PUT A PETRO FAMILY FACE ON BUSINESS AS USUAL.

IT'S UP TO US LOCALLY TO TAKE ACTION TO MINIMIZE EMISSIONS.

THE EUC IS THAT MY TWO MINUTES? MY GOLLY TIME FLIES.

I, UH, SUPPORT THE EUC AND I SUPPORT ALL OF YOUR WORK ON THIS EFFORT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

AND WE, WE SHORTENED IT.

WE'RE STICKING WITH TWO MINUTES JUST BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF SPEAKERS, BUT, UH, SO JUST A HEADS UP TO EVERYBODY TO TRY TO KEEP IT, UH, WITHIN THOSE TWO MINUTES.

THE NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE.

NEXT SPEAKER IS OLGA TUVA.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR, VELA MAYOR.

WATSON AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, MY NAME IS OLGA TOVA AND I LIVE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE.

I'M HERE TODAY TO URGE YOU TO PRIORITIZE RENEWABLE AND NON-FOSSIL FUEL BASED ENERGY SOURCES AND UPDATES TO THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN.

I'M AN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN, AND I BELIEVE THAT IS ESSENTIAL FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF SETTING FORWARD ON A PATH THAT LEADS US TO MORE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PORTFOLIO.

ACKNOWLEDGING THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS AND CONSENSUS ON CLIMATE CHANGE, WE MUST RECOGNIZE THAT CONTINUING TO EMIT CARBON DIOXIDE IN OTHER GREENHOUSE GASES AT THE RATE WE CURRENTLY ARE IS GOING TO CONTINUE DEVASTATING OUR FUTURE AND MAKING IT MORE DIFFICULT FOR US TO IMPLEMENT CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTIONS.

WE MISTAKE THE DECISIONS WE MAKE TODAY AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SET OURSELVES UP FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IN THE FUTURE, AND INVEST IN THE RENEWABLE INFRASTRUCTURE WE NOTABLY WILL NEED TO RELY ON.

THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT INFRASTRUCTURE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND BATTERIES WILL HAVE TO EXPAND IN THE FUTURE.

A FOSSIL FUEL DOMINANT PORTFOLIO WILL FAIL TO PROVIDE NET BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY AS WE'LL CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE RISING TEMPERATURES, WORSENING AIR POLLUTION IN MORE EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS.

WE CAN TAKE THE NECESSARY STEPS TODAY TO CONTINUE MAKING THE ENERGY TRANSITION MORE FEASIBLE FOR OUR CITY IN THE FUTURE, AND RECOMMIT TO STAYING ON TRACK WITH THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.

WE NEED TO RECENTER RENEWABLE ENERGY AS SOMETHING FOR OUR COMMUNITY TO TAKE PRIDE IN.

WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GENUINELY SERVE AS A LEADER IN THE RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITION AND BUILD UP OUR CITY IN A WAY THAT PRIORITIZES THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING

[02:00:01]

OF OUR COMMUNITY.

BUT THIS REQUIRES A SIGNIFICANT RE-ENVISIONING OF THE WAY WE GENERATE OUR POWER AND FUEL OUR CITY.

NOTABLY, SWIFT ACTION MUST BE TAKEN TO FINALLY RETIRE THE FIGHT AT COAL PLANT, WHICH AUSTIN ENERGY HAD FAILED TO ACCOMPLISH BY THE END OF 2022.

THIS COAL PLANT ACCOUNTS FOR AN ABSURD THREE QUARTERS OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND RETIRING.

IT MUST BE A TOP PRIORITY.

I'M ASKING FOR YOU TO REFLECT ON THE STEPS THAT MUST BE TAKEN FOR OUR CITY TO GENUINELY FOLLOW THROUGH WITH OUR CLIMATE GOALS AND ENSURE THAT WE MAKE THE DECISIONS TO CREATE A MORE LIVABLE, CLEANER.

AUSTIN, I URGE YOU TO COMMIT TO A FULL TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY IN THE UPDATED AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

NEXT IS KABA WHITE, ATON MIGHT, AND PHILIP MARTIN.

MY NAME IS KABA WHITE AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF PUBLIC CITIZENS TEXAS OFFICE AND MY 4-YEAR-OLD SON WHO I THINK ISN'T GONNA SPEAK AFTER ALL THE CLIMATE CRISIS AND OUR LOCAL AIR POLLUTION ARE WORSENING, AND YOU'RE BEING ASKED TO REPEAL THE COMMITMENTS IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN.

THE PLAN THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE NEXT WEEK EVISCERATES, THE EXISTING PLAN, THE COMMITMENT NOT TO BUILD MORE FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION GONE CARBON FREE BY 2035.

THEREIN WORDS BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE THERE'S NO CHANCE AE WILL SHUT DOWN METHANE GAS GENERATORS THAT ARE LESS THAN A DECADE OLD TRAJECTORY FOR REDUCING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS OVER THE PLANNING PERIOD.

GONE, INCREASING RENEWABLE ENERGY GOALS OVER THE PLANNING PERIOD GONE.

SPECIFIC GOALS FOR LOCAL SOLAR GONE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE GOALS GONE.

THERE WILL BE NO BENCHMARK SO THAT YOU AND YOUR PREDECESSORS CAN REASONABLY ASSESS IF PROGRESS IS BEING MADE.

INSTEAD, AE WILL HAVE A LIST OF TECHNOLOGIES TO USE AS THEY SEE FIT, A LIST THAT WILL INCLUDE BOTH METHANE GAS AND CARBON CAPTURE, WHICH IS A FALSE PROMISE IN THIS SITUATION.

CARBON CAPTURE IS A COMPLEX, EXPENSIVE AND ENERGY INTENSIVE TECHNOLOGY THAT IS ONLY FEASIBLE FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF POWER PLANTS THAT RUN FAIRLY CONSISTENTLY.

I'VE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND A SINGLE EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE OF CARBON CAPTURE ON A PEAKER PLANT.

THIS IS AN EVEN MORE IMPLAUSIBLE SOLUTION THAN THE GREEN HYDROGEN PROPOSAL YOU GOT FROM AE LAST YEAR.

THESE, THIS TECHNOLOGY WASN'T MODELED FOR THIS UPDATE BECAUSE AE DEEMED IT NOT TECHNOLOGICALLY READY FROM THE ONSET.

AE HAS DISMISSED THE OPTION OF SIGNIFICANTLY RAMPING UP ROOFTOP SOLAR DEPO DEPLOYMENT, BUT THEY'RE BETTING OUR FUTURE ON MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE AND MUCH LESS EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGIES.

YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW THAT CARBON CAPTURE WON'T REDUCE NO EMISSIONS.

IT WILL INCREASE THEM BECAUSE AE WILL HAVE TO BURN MORE GAS TO RUN THE EQUIPMENT.

ANY PLAN THAT SENDS MORE KIDS TO THE HOSPITAL ISN'T AFFORDABLE OR SUSTAINABLE.

I CALL ON YOU TO REJECT THIS PROPOSAL.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS, MS. WYATT.

NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE.

PHILIP MARTIN, PHILIP MARTIN, AND THEN MARY MICHAEL, AND THEN CAMILLE COOK.

IF MS. MARTIN AND MS. COOK WILL COME DOWN.

GO AHEAD.

MY NAME IS PHILIP MARTIN.

UH, I LIVE IN DISTRICT THREE.

UH, I HAVE ALSO LIVED IN DISTRICTS 4, 5, 6, 7, AND NINE OVER THE 40 YEARS HERE IN AUSTIN.

UH, AND PLEASURE TO SEE YOU, MR. MAYOR.

I'VE NEVER VISITED YOU HERE BEFORE, BUT IT'S BEEN GREAT WORKING WITH YOU IN THE PA IN THE PAST.

UM, QUITE SIMPLY USING POTENTIAL THESE PEAK EMITTERS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENTAL DECISION.

I WORK NOW WITH ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENSE FUND.

IT'S PRETTY EASY TO SEE, AND OUR NAME WAS NOT ON THIS LIST OF COMMUNITY GROUPS THAT YOU'VE SEEN UP THERE.

IT'S PRETTY EASY TO SEE THE DANGER IN THE RECKLESS DECISION OF MOVING TOWARDS WITH NATURAL GAS PEAKERS.

THEY PER, THEY POLLUTE 1.6 TIMES THE SULFUR DIOXIDE YOU SEE IN EXISTING POWER GENERATION.

I'LL OFFER THAT.

IF THE CITY COUNCIL, IF THIS BODY DECIDES TO MOVE FORWARD AND MIRROR GOVERNOR ABBOTT AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR DAN PATRICK IN GOING FORWARD WITH FOSSIL FUEL BASED GENERATION.

THAT WILL BE THE HEADLINE FROM THIS DECISION.

THERE IS A LOT OF GOOD WORK DONE IN THIS PLAN.

THERE'S A LOT OF WORK TO BE PROUD OF.

THERE'S THINGS THAT CAN BE FIXED, BUT IF AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE ARE NATURAL GAS PEAKERS INCLUDED IN THIS PLAN, THAT IS THE HEADLINE.

THAT IS WHAT YOU'LL BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR TO ALL OF THE MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF AUSTIN.

SO I JUST WANT YOU TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT.

THERE ARE WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD IN A COST-EFFECTIVE, RELIABLE, ENVIRONMENTALLY SAFE WAY THAT ACHIEVES THE POWER NEEDED DURING THOSE PEAK HOURS WITHOUT NEEDING TO GO INTO SOMETHING THAT POLLUTES MORE.

I URGE YOU TO PURSUE THAT PATH AND TAKE A RESPONSIBLE DECISION FOR THIS CITY AND FOR THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY.

RESOURCE PLAN WILL DETERMINE IF AUSTIN REACHES THE GOAL OF BEING CARBON FREE BY 2035 COUNCIL MEMBERS.

NEXT SPEAKER IS MARY MARTIN, THEN CAMILLE COOK, THEN ADRIAN SHELLY.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR VELA MAYOR WATSON AND CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS MARY MICHAEL AND I LIVE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN.

I'M SPEAKING TODAY TO VOICE MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ENERGY IN AUSTIN.

THE CHOICES MADE IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY

[02:05:01]

I'M ASKING EACH OF YOU TO SUPPORT A FULLY CARBON FREE CLEAN ENERGY PLAN FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.

I'M 22 YEARS OLD AND I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE.

MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT HAVE MOTIVATED ME TO ADVOCATE FOR CLEAN ENERGY, AND THEY'VE ALSO BROUGHT ME TO INTERN WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN.

WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN.

I'VE GOTTEN TO SEE THE POTENTIAL FOR CLEAN ENERGY IN AUSTIN BY USING GIS TO DETERMINE SOLAR ENERGY POTENTIAL FOR CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED BUILDINGS.

MY ESTIMATES SHOW THAT IF CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED BUILDINGS IMPLEMENTED SOLAR, THEY WOULD HAVE THE CAPACITY TO GENERATE 38,000 MEGAWATT HOURS OF SOLAR ENERGY A YEAR.

TO PUT THIS INTO PERSPECTIVE, THIS IS ENOUGH POWER TO THIS IS ENOUGH TO POWER ROUGHLY 3,800 HOMES FOR A YEAR.

MY ANALYSIS ONLY STUDIED A PORTION OF CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED BUILDINGS, BUT THE RESULTS ARE INCREDIBLY PROMISING FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR IN AUSTIN AS A WHOLE AND DEMONSTRATE THE NEEDS TO TAP INTO THIS ENERGY POTENTIAL.

WE'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE A CLIMATE THAT IS SUITABLE FOR SOLAR ENERGY.

WE'RE ALSO LUCKY TO HAVE A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY.

THESE TWO FACTORS PUT AUSTIN IN AN AMAZING POSITION TO BE A LEADER IN ROOFTOP SOLAR.

MORE ROOFTOP SOLAR AND AUSTIN WILL ACCOMPLISH SO MANY THINGS BESIDES JUST DOING OUR PART TO SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT ALSO CREATES GREEN WHILE PAYING JOBS INCREASES ENERGY, RESILIENCE, AND CAN REDUCE ENERGY COSTS DURING PEAK TIMES.

IF THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN CHOOSES TO KEEP FOSSIL FUELS OVER EXPANDING CLEAN ENERGY, WE WILL LOSE OUR POTENTIAL TO BE A LEADER ON THIS.

CONSIDERING THE RECENT ELECTION RESULTS, IT IS LIKELY THAT WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RELY ON THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO ENACT CLIMATE ACTION.

MANY ARE FEELING HOPELESS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR CLIMATE, BUT I AM NOT BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE'S POWER IN LOCAL ACTION AND THE CITY COUNCIL HAS THE POWER TO MOVE AUSTIN TOWARDS A CLEAN FUTURE REGARDLESS.

AT THIS POINT, IT'S UP TO US TO TAKE THE BOLD ACTION, THE BOLD CLIMATE ACTION THAT THE WORLD NEEDS.

SO I'M ASKING YOU TO SUPPORT A FULL TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY IN THE UPDATED AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE FOCUS ON EXPANDING ROOFTOP SOLAR BATTERIES AND ENERGY.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL AND VICE CHAIR VELA.

MY NAME IS CAMILLE COOK AND I'M A MEMBER OF DISTRICT THREE.

AS EVERYONE HERE KNOWS, THIS UPDATE PROCESS IS DRAGGED ON FOR A LONG TIME.

THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF INFORMATION TO SORT AND SIFT THROUGH, AND SO I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A FEW PIECES OF INFORMATION THAT I, THAT HAVE COME OUT OF THIS PROCESS AND I THINK ARE IMPORTANT AND DON'T WANT ANYONE TO MISS.

FIRST.

IN THE PUBLIC INPUT SURVEY THAT AE CONDUCTED LAST AUGUST, WE SAW THAT 66% OF AUSTINITES SAID THAT THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO HAVE A HIGHER ENERGY BILL IN ORDER TO HAVE CLEANER ENERGY.

THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN CARE ABOUT A CLEAN FUTURE AND CARE ABOUT HAVING NORMAL WEATHER THAT ALLOWS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT AND OUR LIVES TO PROSPER, ESPECIALLY IN THE POLARIZED POLITICS OF TODAY.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO GET A CLEAR DIRECTIVE FROM THE PEOPLE IN THAT.

SECOND, IN THE MODELED PORTFOLIOS FROM ASCEND, ONE OF THE CONSULTANTS AE HIRED TO MODEL SOME PORTFOLIOS.

WE SAW A GRAPH THAT SHOWED THAT A ZERO EMISSIONS PORTFOLIO WOULD INCREASE RELIABILITY FASTER THAN ANY OTHER MODELED PORTFOLIOS.

WE SEE IMMEDIATE RELIABILITY BENEFITS FROM INVESTING IN MORE BATTERIES, LOCAL SOLAR AND DEMAND RESPONSE AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY THAN INVESTING IN PEAKERS.

LASTLY, AE HASN'T MODELED ANYTHING RELATED TO CARBON CAPTURE YET.

THEY'RE STILL APPARENTLY RELYING ON IT TO HELP REACH THEIR CARBON FREE GOAL BY 2035, EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT SURE HOW WE CAN BE CARBON FREE BY 2035 WITH NEW PEAKERS WITHOUT HAVING SOME CARBON CAPTURE INVOLVED, CARBON CAPTURE IS INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE, HAS NOT BEEN EXTENSIVELY TESTED AND REQUIRES MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF ENERGY.

EVEN IF CARBON CAPTURE SOMEHOW TAKES OFF AS ELECTRICITY DEMAND INCREASES, WE COULD END UP IN A SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE, DATA CENTERS AND CARBON CAPTURE FACILITIES ARE COMPETING FOR ELECTRICITY.

IF WE CREATE EVEN MORE COMPETITION BETWEEN THE PEOPLE, INDUSTRY AND THE CLIMATE, NO ONE'S GONNA WIN.

IF WE DON'T BUILD ANY NEW PEAKERS, THEN WE WILL ALSO NOT NEED TO BUILD ANY NEW CARBON CAPTURE FACILITIES.

WHY SPEND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS BUILDING NEW PEAKERS AND THEN SPEND MAYBE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON CARBON CAPTURE FACILITIES ALL TO AVOID EMITTING CARBON? IT, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME.

ALL THAT MONEY COULD BE GOING TO MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT HOMES, SCHOOLS, AND BUILDINGS.

SO A PROPER SOLUTION IS TO FUTURE PROOF AS BEST AS WE CAN.

TRUMP IS COMING INTO OFFICE AND WILL BE EVISCERATING ALL KINDS OF CLIMATE COMMITMENTS.

WE NEED TO LISTEN TO THE DIRECTIVE OF THE PEOPLE.

PLEASE SUPPORT A FULL TRANSITION TO CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NEXT SPEAKER IS ADRIAN SHELLEY, THEN RAPHAEL SCHWARTZ, THEN BECKY HALPIN.

HELLO, UH, CHAIRMAN POOLE, VICE CHAIR VELA.

MAYOR WATSON COUNCIL MEMBERS APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.

UM, MY NAME IS ADRIAN SHELLEY.

I'M A WILLIAMSON COUNTY RESIDENT.

UM, I WORK HERE IN AUSTIN.

UH, I'M RAISING TWO CHILDREN HERE.

UM, TWO YOUNG BOYS.

BOTH OF THEM HAVE HAD RESPIRATORY CHALLENGES IN THEIR YOUNG LIVES.

UM, AND I COME AT THIS ISSUE WITH AN INTEREST IN, UH, PUBLIC HEALTH, CLEAN ENERGY, UH, AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

UM, AS THE DIRECTOR OF, UH, PUBLIC CITIZENS OFFICE HERE IN TEXAS, I'M, I'M PRIVILEGED TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THESE ISSUES.

UM, AND I ENJOY A, A POSITION ON CAP COGS, UH, CLEAN AIR, UH, COUNCIL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

AND, UH, FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO, TO SHARE A REMINDER THAT, UH, WE ARE IN A TENUOUS POSITION, UH, AS REGARDS TO COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL

[02:10:01]

AIR QUALITY STANDARDS.

RIGHT NOW, WE'VE BEEN IN, UH, NEAR NON-ATTAINMENT FOR THE OZONE STANDARD FOR QUITE SOME TIME.

THE PARTICULATE MATTER STANDARD IS BEING REDUCED AND WE FACE A NON-ATTAINMENT DESIGNATION THERE AS WELL.

UM, THESE ARE, UH, DESIGNATIONS THAT WILL, UH, BRING DECADES, UH, OF WORK AND HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN, UH, OF REGULATORY, UH, NECESSITIES.

UH, THAT'LL AFFECT EVERYTHING FROM TRANSPORTATION PLANNING, UH, UH, PERMITTING, UM, AND, UH, OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL FUNDING.

UM, WE ARE LOOKING AT, UH, BUILDING PEAKER PLANTS HERE, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO APPRECIATE THAT, UH, WHAT WE CONSIDER PEAK DEMAND RIGHT NOW IN JUST A COUPLE OF YEARS WILL BECOME THE NORM.

UM, THE PROJECTIONS STATEWIDE ARE FRIGHTENING, UH, 150 GIG GIGAWATTS OF DEMAND BY THE END OF THE CENTURY.

UM, IF WE CONTINUE TO INVEST IN FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION, YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT WE HOPE TO ONLY RUN FOR A FEW HOURS A YEAR NOW, UH, WILL BECOME NECESSARY TO RUN MORE AND MORE HOURS.

UM, WE DON'T NEED TO BE PART OF THE PROBLEM OF PROLONGING, UH, THE LIFE OF FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION IN THIS STATE.

WE CAN BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.

WE'VE GOT A CLEAR MANDATE, UH, FROM OUR VOTERS HERE IN AUSTIN.

UM, THEY WANT US TO RETIRE FA THEY WANT US TO INVEST IN CLEAN ENERGY, AND YOU ALL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU, SIR.

NEXT SPEAKER RAPHAEL SCHWARTZ, THEN BECKY HALPIN, THEN RICHARD HALPIN.

HI, GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

UH, MY NAME IS RAFAEL SCHWARTZ.

I'M A ELECTRICAL ENGINEER.

I LIVE IN D TWO IN SOUTH AUSTIN.

UH, I'M NUTS ENOUGH THAT I CHOSE TO WATCH MANY HOURS OF THE EC PRESENTATIONS AND STAFF, AND I THINK STAFF OVERALL DID AN ADMIRABLE JOB ASSESSING AND PRESENTING WHAT'S REALLY A DIZZYING ARRAY OF SCENARIO OPTIONS AND MODELING GIVEN THE SCOPE THAT THEY DEFINED.

BUT WHAT REALLY STRUCK ME WAS WHAT WASN'T MODELED, UH, WHAT WAS SORT OF MISSING FROM THE DISCUSSION.

UH, JUST TO NAME A FEW THINGS.

POLLUTANTS AND CARBON EMISSIONS WERE NOT TRANSLATED INTO COSTS.

AUSTIN ENERGY USES SOCIAL CARBON COSTS IN OTHER CONTEXTS, BUT THAT WAS IGNORED HERE.

UH, FUGITIVE METHANE EMISSIONS OR IGNORED.

HERE ALSO, THESE NUMBERS ARE PROBABLY SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO IN, TO ERASE THE CLIMATE BENEFIT OF GAS OVER COAL PLANT.

UH, THE THIRD THING IS THE FACT THAT PEAKERS THEMSELVES EMIT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE EMISSIONS, CARBON EMISSIONS PER UNIT ENERGY.

ACCORDING TO EPA, PROBABLY 60% MORE THAN BASE LOAD GAS PLANTS, UH, WASN'T LOOKED AT OR MENTIONED.

UH, THO THESE THREE THINGS ALONE, IF AE HAD, UH, INCLUDED THEM IN THE MODELING, WHICH WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH WORK, WOULD COMPLETELY FLIP THE ANALYSIS ON ITS HEAD.

I WAS ALSO REALLY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT AUSTIN ENERGY LEFT OUT THE SOLAR GROWTH PROJECTIONS FROM THE POTENTIALLY HUGE NEW SOLAR STANDARD OFFER PROGRAM FOR COMMUNITY COMMERCIAL SOLAR.

IT'S NOT MODELED IN THE PROJECTION OF FUTURE LOCAL SOLAR, UH, WHICH IS UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE IT MAKES THE SOLAR NUMBERS LOOK WORSE, AND IT SEEMS LIKE A BIG OVERSIGHT.

UH, I'M YOUNG-ISH.

I'M REALLY FORTUNATE, UH, AND HEALTHY.

I DID GROW UP WITH ASTHMA.

I STILL HAVE SOME CHALLENGES EXERCISING ON POOR AIR QUALITY DAYS.

IT'S REALLY MINIMAL IMPACT TO MY LIFE RIGHT NOW, BUT THE STUFF IS REALLY REAL.

AUSTIN WILL ENTER, UH, OZONE, NON-ATTAINMENT SOON, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE ALREADY MENTIONED, BUT IT'S CLEAR NOW THAN A COUPLE WEEKS AGO THAT NO ONE, YOU KNOW, IS COMING TO SAVE US REGULATIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING TO HELP SHUT DOWN.

FAYETTE WILL PROBABLY BE SHELVED.

TAILPIPE REGULATIONS WILL DEFINITELY BE SCRAPPED, AND A LOT OF THE FEDERAL CLIMATE SUBSIDIES WILL ABSOLUTELY BE, UH, GUTTED.

AT THE SAME TIME, BATTERY COSTS ARE PLUMMETING.

COMMUNITY SOLAR PROGRAM HERE IS RAMPING UP.

SO RESPECTFULLY, I WANT TO ASK COUNCIL TO SIMPLY CONSIDER TAKING A WAIT AND SEE APPROACH, NOT MAKING THE MORE DRASTIC DECISION, UH, TO SHUT DOWN.

THANK YOU, SIR.

YOUR TIME, TIME HAS EXPIRED.

EXCUSE.

APPRECIATE IT.

I JUST WANTED TO ASK THE SPEAKER.

I JUST WANTED TO ASK THE SPEAKER IF YOU COULD EMAIL ME, UM, YOUR REMARKS.

I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND THE NUMBERS AT THE BEGINNING.

2018, AND THIS IS ALL DUE TO CLIMATE RELATED WEATHER DISASTERS.

AND SIR, IF YOU COULD, UM, JUST GO AHEAD AND SEND IT TO ALL THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.

WE WOULD ALL APPRECIATE THAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, MS. HALPIN.

I'M REPRESENTING THIRD ACT TEXAS.

THIS IS A GROUP OF OLD PEOPLE INTERESTED IN THE CLIMATE ISSUE.

UH, AUSTIN ENERGY IS ADDING ANOTHER GAS PLANT IN THEIR TOOLBOX, BUT THIS IS NOT A BENIGN TOOL.

BURNING FOSSIL FUELS ENDANGER US HERE IN AUSTIN.

CLIMATE DRIVEN DROUGHT IS BECOMING MORE FREQUENT AND DEEPER.

WE ARE NOW SUFFERING WHAT AMOUNTS TO PERMANENT WATER SCARCITY.

MANY PLACES IN THE WORLD ARE GOING DRY.

THERE'S NO REASON TO THINK THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN OR COULD NOT HAPPEN TO US.

WE ARE NOT SPECIAL.

IF THIS HAPPENS, PEOPLE WILL LEAVE.

IT WON'T MATTER HOW MUCH, UH, AFFORDABLE ENERGY WE HAVE.

IF WE DON'T HAVE WATER, PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO LIVE HERE.

GAS PLANTS ARE NOT AFFORDABLE FOR EVERY CHEAP ELECTRON THEY PRODUCE.

THEY ADD OTHER COST TO AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS.

FOR EXAMPLE, THE COST OF HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IN TEXAS IS UP 51% SINCE

[02:15:01]

2023, THE COST OF HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE IN TEXAS WAS AN AVERAGE OF $4,000, AND THAT'S DOESN'T EVEN COUNT WHAT IT'S PROBABLY GOING TO BE THIS YEAR, MUCH HIGHER AND RENTERS ARE NOT PROTECTED BECAUSE THE COST OF THIS HAS PASSED ON TO THEM BY THEIR LANDLORDS.

THE COST OF FOOD IS GOING UP BECAUSE OF WEATHER RELATED EVENTS, DISASTERS AND CHANGES.

AUSTIN ENERGY DOES NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANY OF THESE EXTERNALIZED COSTS, BUT AS COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR, THIS WOULD FALL UNDER YOUR WHEELHOUSE TO BALANCE RELIABILITY AND OTHER COSTS TO AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS FROM CLIMATE DRIVEN EVENTS.

THANK YOU, MS. HALPIN.

SAY NO TO NEW GAS.

NEXT SPEAKER IS RICHARD HALPIN, THEN BECKY SMITH, THEN EILEEN MCGINNIS.

MS. MS. SMITH AND MS. MCGINNIS, ARE YOU HERE? COME ON DOWN TO THAT FRONT ROW.

THANK YOU SO MUCH MR. HELPIN.

TWO MINUTES.

THANK YOU, CHAIRWOMAN.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIRWOMAN POOL, VICE CHAIR, VELA MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I AM RICHARD HELPIN, A MEMBER OF THE TEXAS ALLIANCE OF RETIRED AMERICANS.

THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.

ONE OF MY RECOMMENDATIONS IS YOU REQUIRE AN INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS OF THIS YEAR AND A HALF LONG PROCESS TO DETERMINE HOW IT COULD IMPROVE WITH THE ENERGY WORLD IN A TORNADO OF CHANGE.

THIS GENERATION AND CLIMATE PLAN WILL NEED UPGRADING REGULARLY.

THAT CANNOT TAKE ANOTHER YEAR AND A HALF WITH THE EUC MARGINALIZED AT KEY POINTS IN THE AE PRESENTATION AT THE, AT THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION MEETING LAST NIGHT, I HEARD A DISPENSABLE BATTERY STORAGE IDEA THAT COULD REDUCE OVER A MILLION TONS OF TOXIC WASTE OUT OF OUR ATMOSPHERE.

THAT IS WHAT WE CRITICALLY NEED.

AS YOU KNOW, A PREVIOUS COUNCIL PROPOSED NO MORE FOSSIL FUEL BURNING IN OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE AS YOU ALL KNOW, FOSSIL FUEL BURNING HEATS UP OUR CLIMATE CREATING UNHEALTHY SUMMER DAYS, AND THE WASTE POISONS LIVING THAT POISONS LIVING THINGS LIKE CHILDREN, ADULTS, FOOD CROPS, AND MORE.

A CONTROVERSIAL ITEM IS AE STAFF WILL, UM, PROPOSE, OOPS, THESE THINGS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY HERE THEY GO, WELL, I'M JUST GONNA HAVE TO HOOF IT FROM HERE.

THEY'RE GONNA PROPOSE A NEW GAS PLANT AND, UH, THEY'RE NOT TELLING US HOW MUCH THE MORTGAGE FOR THAT 20, 30 YEAR MORTGAGE IS GONNA BE, AND IT'S GONNA BE A LOT OF MONEY.

AND THE IDEAS YOU'VE HEARD TODAY, MORE SOLAR BATTERIES AND OTHER THINGS ARE FAR MORE AFFORDABLE FOR US.

WE WILL LIVE WITH A LEGACY OF THOSE DUKE, UH, GAS PUCKER PLANTS.

WE ALREADY HAVE TWO ER PLANTS.

WHY NOT JUST TUNE THOSE UP, MAKE 'EM DO BETTER, MAKE 'EM MORE EFFICIENT INSTEAD OF SPENDING, AS YOU KNOW, UH, SHARE POOL, BUYING A LOT OF STUFF LIKE THAT IS REALLY EXPENSIVE.

AND, UM, THE MORTGAGE PRICE WILL THEN BE A STRANDED ASSET.

THE THING WILL BE OUTTA DATE IN 10 YEARS AND WE'LL HAVE 30 YEARS LEFT TO PAY FOR IT.

YOU, MR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION TODAY.

PLEASE NO MORE FOSSIL FUEL BURNING.

BECKY SMITH, THEN EILEEN MCGINNIS, AND THEN CRAIG NASER.

MR. NASER, COME ON DOWN.

WHAT WE'RE AT HERE IS THE INTERSECTION, THE HEART OF THE INTERSECTION OF VERY CAPABLE UTILITY AND THE FUTURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY, NOT JUST FOR AUSTIN, BUT FOR THE GENERATIONS OF ALSO MY 10-YEAR-OLD GROWING UP, WHO WILL PROBABLY WANT TO MOVE HERE SOONER THAN I'M READY.

UH, THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS YOU.

MY NAME IS BECKY.

IF YOUR NAME IS RICHARD OR BECKY, YOU'RE GONNA HEAR FROM A LOT OF US APPARENTLY.

UM, BAD NEWS, I'M NOT YOUR CONSTITUENT.

I'M NEITHER A CUSTOMER OF YOUR UTILITY.

UM, I LIVE IN HOUSTON AND MY ELECTRIC UTILITY DOES NOT HAVE A HUMAN OR A HUMANE FACE.

THE GOOD NEWS IS 8,847 OF THE MEMBERS THAT I REPRESENT AS MEMBERS OF CLEAN WATER ACTION DO LIVE.

HERE ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS AND OUR CUSTOMERS OF YOUR UTILITY.

OUR MISSION, SINCE FOUNDING IN EARLY SEVENTIES, IS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT, OUR HEALTH AND COMMUNITY QUALITY OF LIFE.

UM, WE OPPOSE ANY NEW GAS ELECTRIC GENERATION AS A PART OF YOUR ELECTRICITY PLAN MOVING FORWARD.

WE KNOW THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS WATER CHANGE.

WE ALSO KNOW THAT YOU HAVE A GREAT BRAIN TRUST HERE IN YOUR UTILITY THAT HAS ACCESS TO CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING HAS DONE SO BEFORE AND HAS ALL THE TECHNICAL ANSWERS THAT CERTAINLY I DO NOT HAVE, AND SOME OF YOU GREAT QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS HERE AND STUDYING THE, THE DATA MODELING GOING FORWARD.

YOUR JOB AND THE OPINION OF MY MEMBERS IS TO PROVIDE THE PRIORITIES.

UH, THE PRIORITY HERE CAN BE FORWARD THINKING, FORWARD MOVING TECHNOLOGY, UM, APPROACHES INTERACTING WITH CUSTOMERS FOR CUSTOMER DEMAND AND RESPONSE.

AND

[02:20:01]

THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TODAY.

PLEASE PRIORITIZE CLEAN, HEALTHY ENERGY.

NO NEW GAS GENERATION.

THANK YOU, MS. SMITH.

GOOD MORNING, EILEEN MCGINNIS, DISTRICT NINE.

I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU TO COMMIT TO A CARBON FREE PLAN ON BEHALF OF OUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH AND CLIMATE.

AS THE PARENT OF A 9-YEAR-OLD AUSTEN KNIGHT, I'M DEEPLY AFRAID FOR HIS FUTURE.

I FEAR THAT IF WE CONTINUE DOWN THIS PATH OF FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE, HE WILL GROW INTO ADULTHOOD FACING A WORLD OF CLIMATE COLLAPSE AND CIVIL CHAOS.

I'M ALSO HERE TODAY AS THE FOUNDER OF LOCAL NONPROFIT, THE PARENTS' CLIMATE COMMUNITY.

I STARTED THIS GROUP BECAUSE LOVE FOR MY OWN CHILD HAS MADE ME AWARE THAT ALL OF US ADULTS LIVING IN THIS TIME OF CRI CLIMATE CRISIS HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO PROTECT WHAT WE LOVE AND TO HELP ALL KIDS THRIVE.

INVESTING IN NEW PEAKER PLANTS THAT WILL LIKELY OPERATE IN EAST OR SOUTHEAST AUSTIN WHEN POSSIBLE SITE NEAR DECKER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS NOT THE WAY TO CARE FOR CHILDREN.

AND IT'S NOT A TRADE OFF THAT WE SHOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE MAKING.

CHILDREN OF COLOR HERE IN TRAVIS COUNTY ARE ALREADY BEARING A DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF AIR POLLUTION BEING HOSPITALIZED FOR ASTHMA AT TRIPLE THE RATE OF WHITE CHILDREN.

HOW DO WE RECONCILE PUTTING NEW GAS PLANTS WHERE CHILDREN OF COLOR LIVE IN PLAY WITH THE CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN THAT THE CITY COUNCIL PASSED THREE YEARS AGO? I'M ASKING EACH OF YOU TO PUT KIDS FIRST BY SUPPORTING A FULL TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE TO RAISE A CHILD, AND IT TAKES ALL OF US HERE IN AUSTIN ACTING FROM OUR HIGHEST VALUES AND OUT OF, OUT OF A DEEP SENSE OF OUR INTERGENERATIONAL LEGACY TO SAFEGUARD CHILDREN'S AND COMMUNITY HEALTH.

WELCOME, MR. CRAIG NASER, THEN CAROL SMITH AND SHANE JOHNSON.

WELCOME, MR. NASER.

HELLO CITY COUNCIL.

MY NAME IS CRAIG DAER.

I AM THE CONSERVATION CHAIR OF THE LONE STAR CHAPTER OF THE SIERRA CLUB, AND I'M THE CURRENT CHAIR OF AUSTIN ENVIRONMENTAL DEMOCRATS IN BOTH OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, OVERWHELMINGLY DO NOT SUPPORT A NEW, ANY NEW GAS FIRED POWER PLANT.

UH, THAT, YEAH, I HAVE ONE OWNED ONE HOUSE IN MY LIFE.

AND WHAT I DID, RATHER THAN I'M A RETIRED MUSICIAN, DON'T HAVE MUCH MONEY.

AND I INVESTED IN A HOUSE IN MAKING ENERGY EFFICIENT DURING WINTER STORM URI HOUSES JUST LIKE MINE ACROSS THE STREET, GOT DOWN TO 35 DEGREES.

MINE STAYED AT 55 DEGREES.

I PUT A GREENHOUSE ON BACK, THE SUN CAME UP AND MY BACK ROOM WENT UP TO 60 DEGREES.

I HAD A LITTLE CAMPING SOLAR CELL.

I PUT IT OUT THERE.

I PLUGGED MY PHONE IN MY PUG, MY PHONE STAYED CHARGED UP THE WHOLE TIME DEMAND RESPONSE.

WHY DID NOT, THESE PEOPLE HAVE A LOT MORE MONEY THAN ME.

THEY DID NOT UPGRADE THEIR HOUSES.

DEMAND RESPONSE IS SOMETHING WE'RE MISSING HERE, AND WE NEED TO DO MORE ABOUT THAT.

I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.

THE OTHER THING IS, UM, THE, THE, THE CHANGES IN OUR CLIMATE ARE NOT GOING TO BE LINEAR.

YOU CAN'T MODEL THEM IN A LINEAR WAY.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE NON-LINEAR.

AND A HEAT WAVE, A LONG HEAT WAVE AT A VERY HIGH TEMPERATURE IS GONNA BE FAR MORE DESTRUCTIVE THAN ANY WINTER STORM URI.

THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER.

SOME OF THE UPGRADES I'VE MADE REALLY COULDN'T HELP ME DURING A WINTER STORM URI.

SO WE NEED TO HAVE THE ENERGY.

AND ALSO WHEN A HEAT WAVE COMES IN, WE'RE GONNA HAVE LOTS OF SOLAR.

THERE'LL BE LOTS OF SUN.

SO THAT IS ONE GOOD THING TO DO.

I JUST, I I, I LIKE OUR SOCIALIST ENERGY COMPANY AND I THINK THEY DO A LOT OF WONDERFUL THINGS, BUT I JUST THINK THIS NEW PEAKER PLANTS, GAS PLANTS IS A MISTAKE.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU ALL HAVE DONE AS WELL AS, UH, FOR THE RESOURCE PLAN.

MR. NAZER.

HAROLD SMITH, THEN SHANE JOHNSON, THEN CAROLYN KRUM.

MR. JOHNSON AND MS. KREME, COULD YOU COME? GOOD MORNING.

CHAIR POOL AND VICE CHAIR OF VALA AND MAYOR IS NOT HERE, BUT CITY COUNCIL.

MY NAME IS LYNN SMITH.

I ACTUALLY GO BY LYNN AND I'M IN DISTRICT ONE HERE IN AUSTIN.

THIS YEAR MARKS 50 YEARS THAT I'VE LIVED HERE IN AUSTIN, AND I'M SORRY TO SAY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE EVER GOTTEN UP AND SPOKEN TO YOU ALL.

SO THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY.

I'VE HEARD A LOT OF, OF REALLY HARD WORK HAS GONE INTO THIS PLAN, AND

[02:25:01]

BUT I STAND HERE REPRESENTING MY CHILDREN, MY GRANDCHILDREN, THE REST OF MY FAMILY, NEIGHBORS.

MANY PEOPLE WHO CAN'T BE HERE TODAY TO SAY WE CANNOT ADD ANY MORE FOSSIL FUEL, GAS EMITTERS, NO MORE EMISSIONS IN OUR CLIMATE.

I, I URGE THE COUNCIL TO STRONGLY CONSIDER ALL OF THE MEASURES THAT WE COULD BE TAKING TO REDUCE DEMAND AND ALL OF THE INNOVATIONS THAT WE COULD DO TO FIND BETTER SOURCES THAT WON'T CONTINUE TO DESTROY OUR PLANET.

I'VE SEEN SO MANY CHANGES IN THE 50 YEARS I'VE BEEN HERE FROM BEING ABLE TO RIDE AROUND IN A NON-AIR CONDITIONED CAR ALL YEAR WITHOUT A PROBLEM, TO BEING ABLE TO SWIM IN THE LOCAL CREEKS THAT ARE NOW DRY OR POLLUTED, UM, TO BEING ABLE TO BREEZE SOME FRESH AIR.

AND NOW I SEE THE HAZE HANGING OVER THE CITY.

UM, HAVE TO LIMIT MY ACTIVITY TO BEFORE NOON, A GOOD PORTION OF THE YEAR BECAUSE OF HEAT.

I WAS HERE FOR THAT WINTER STORM.

PLEASE PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT EVERY WAY THAT WE POSSIBLY CAN.

THANK YOU, MS. SMITH.

WE APPRECIATE YOU MS. KRUM.

UH, NEXT IS SHANE JOHNSON, THEN CAROLYN KRUM.

AND THEN CATHERINE, EITHER ONE, COME ON DOWN.

, WELCOME MS. CRUM.

UM, YOU CAN GIVE GOOD MORNING.

I'M ASKING EVERYONE ON THIS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE TO SUPPORT A FULLY RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN, WHICH AVOIDS RESORTING TO FUTURE FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS.

AUSTIN ENERGY COMMITTED A FEW YEARS AGO TO NOT BUY OR BUILD NEW FOSSIL FUEL POWER PLANTS.

SO WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT COMMITMENT? THERE'S NO URGENCY TO BUILD NEW GAS PLANTS.

AS COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER HAS STATED, THERE ARE PLENTY OF OPTIONS TO PRODUCE AND CONSERVE ENERGY.

AS DETAILED IN THE EXCELLENT PROPOSED RESOURCE PLAN PRODUCED BY EUCS RESOURCE PLANNING, WORKING, WORKING GROUP, I HAVE WITH ME LAST MONTH'S UTILITY BILL.

INSERT AUSTIN ENERGY RIGHTS.

WE KNOW OUR CUSTOMERS CARE ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND WELLBEING OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.

AUSTIN ENERGY CONTINUES TO LEAD IN SUSTAINABILITY WITH PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON RENEWABLE ENERGY, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.

END QUOTE, AUSTIN ENERGY NEEDS TO RISE TO THE OCCASION AND CONTINUE TO BE THE LEADERS THEY CLAIM TO BE AND THAT WE WANT THEM TO BE.

MY FAMILY IS IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING OUR GAS APPLIANCES TO ELECTRIC APPLIANCES TO REDUCE OUR USE OF FOSSIL FUELS.

WE WANT AUSTIN ENERGY TO STICK TO ITS COMMITMENT TO 100% RENEWABLE ENERGY SO THAT OUR HOUSEHOLD'S ENERGY COMES FROM RENEWABLE SOURCES.

OUR ELECTRIC UTILITY SHOULD NOT GO BACKWARDS TO AN OLD POLLUTING TECHNOLOGY, DO THE RIGHT THING AND INSIST THAT AUSTIN ENERGY CONTINUE TO COMMIT TO NO MORE FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS AND TO RECOMMIT TO A FULLY RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAN.

THANK YOU, MS. KER.

MR. JOHNSON, THANK YOU.

YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES AND CALL THE NEXT STUDENT SPEAKER AFTER MR. JOHNSON.

WE HAVE CAROLYN CRUM, CATHERINE ELLER, AND CLARISSA MARTINEZ.

AND WE HEARD FROM CAROLYN.

UH, ONE THING I WANNA HIGHLIGHT TOO IS THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SITE IS NOT CONFIRMED, THERE ARE ESSENTIALLY ONLY TWO SITES THAT WOULD REALLY MAKE SENSE TO ADD PEAKERS AT THE DECKER SITE.

ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU.

YEAH, I, UH, HAVE SOME HANDOUTS.

I HANDED TO THEM AS WELL FOR, FOR THE DAIS.

UM, WE HAD A LITTLE TROUBLE PRINTING, SO JUST THREE COPIES FOR NOW.

WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH MORE.

SO WE, UH, GATHERED PETITION SIGNATURES FROM AROUND THE CITY ASKING, UH, AUSTIN RESIDENTS HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT, UH, NEW RESOURCE PLAN UPDATE.

AND 1,314 AUSTINITE SIGNED OUR PETITION ASKING THAT WE PURSUE A CLEAN ENERGY PLAN THAT DOES NOT BUILD ANY NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION.

SO PLEASE ONLY VOTE ON A PLAN THAT DOES NOT COMMIT TO NEW GAS PLANTS RIGHT NOW.

UH, DON'T HAVE TOO LONG.

SO I'LL JUST EMPHASIZE A COUPLE OF POINTS.

AUSTIN ENERGY, AUSTIN ENERGY'S OWN DATA SHOWS WE DO NOT NEED TO COMMIT TO NEW PEAKERS AND THIS, UH, UP RESOURCE PLAN UPDATE.

WE DON'T HAVE A CUR A CRITICAL RELIABILITY NEED RIGHT NOW BEFORE WE RETIRE.

OUR CURRENT GAS PLANTS AND NEW PEAKERS WON'T ADDRESS RELIABILITY FOR A FEW YEARS.

UH, EVEN LIKE, UH, MS. MARTIN WAS SAYING WE NEED TO BUILD BATTERIES AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BOWL.

UM, NOT TO MENTION OUR CURRENT DECKER PEAKERS ALREADY PROVIDE THE BLACKSTAR CAPABILITIES WE NEED.

[02:30:01]

THAT IS LITERALLY, LITERALLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN SANDHILL IN DELL VALLEY.

EITHER ONE WOULD DOUBLE DOWN ON THE LEGACY OF POLLUTING BLACK AND BROWN COMMUNITIES.

WE CANNOT MAKE A DECISION THAT TAKES US BACK 10 YEARS, UH, 10 YEARS BACKWARDS FROM OUR COMMUNITY'S VALUES AND CLIMATE GOALS.

A DECISION, UH, TO APPROVE THIS RIGHT NOW WOULD BE THE NAIL NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF OOZ AND ATTAINMENT, EVEN WITH SELECTIVE CATALYTIC REDUCTION MENTIONED EARLIER.

AND THIS IS NOT EVEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.

THERE'S NO MODELING ON THE IMPACT OF RAZ RESILIENCE AS A SERVICE THAT WILL PROLIFERATE SMALL NATURAL GAS PLANTS AT CRITICAL LOAD AROUND THE CITY AND HOW THAT'S GOING TO IMPACT AIR QUALITY, UH, LOAD, THINGS LIKE THAT.

IN OTHER WORDS, COMMITTING TO NEW GAS SENSE RIGHT NOW WOULD BE DEEPLY ANTIQUITY.

PLEASE VOTE THE RIGHT WAY.

THANK YOU, MR. JOHNSON.

NEXT IS CATHERINE ELLERT, THEN CLARISSA MARTINEZ, THEN ANNA SCOTT.

DO WE HAVE OUR SPEAKERS? I'M CLARISSA.

COME ON DOWN.

CLARISSA.

OF NEARLY 30% OVER ITS LIFETIME.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR, VELA, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS CLARISSA MARTINEZ AND I LIVE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT THREE.

I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I OPPOSE BUILDING NEW POWER PLANTS AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT THE FUTURE, UM, OF MY FUTURE CHILDREN WHO WON'T HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE THE CONNECTION, UH, THAT I HAD, UH, TO NATURE THAT FUNDAMENTALLY SHAPED WHO I AM GROWING UP.

I SPENT EVERY DAY PLAYING IN THE LUSH FOREST NEAR MY HOUSE.

AND THE BEAUTY AND PEACE THAT I FOUND IN IT INSPIRED A LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO PRESERVING, UH, THE ENVIRONMENT.

AS A CHILD, I NEVER FULLY REALIZED HOW PRIVILEGED I WAS TO BE SURROUNDED BY THIS, BUT HAVING ACCESS TO A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT SHOULD NOT BE A PRIVILEGE.

IT SHOULD BE A BASIC RIGHT FOR EVERYONE.

AND BUILDING NEW PLANTS PUTS THIS AT RISK.

NOW, AS A STUDENT AT UT, I'VE COME TO UNDERSTAND HOW FRAGILE THAT RIDE IS AND HOW CRITICAL IT IS TO TAKE ACTION AND PROTECT IT.

LIKE MANY OF MY PEERS, I'M DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ENERGY ISSUES AND POLLUTION IN OUR CITY.

AS STUDENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE, WE ARE OVERWHELMED BY THE WORSENING CLIMATE CRISIS.

THE BURDEN OF INHERITING THESE CHALLENGES IS HEAVY, AND THE RECENT ELECTION RESULTS ONLY DEEPEN THE SENSE OF HOPELESSNESS ABOUT CLIMATE POLICY.

WE CAN NO LONGER RELY ON FEDERAL REGULATIONS TO PROTECT OUR COMMUNITIES FROM THESE POLLUTING POWER PLANTS.

IF THEY WON'T REGULATE IT, YOU MUST.

IF THEY WON'T PROTECT US, YOU MUST.

THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING TO YOU, OUR LOCAL LEADERS, TO TAKE BOLD, DECISIVE ACTION.

NOW, THE BURDEN OF THIS CRISIS SHOULDN'T FALL SOLELY ON THE SHOULDERS OF MY GENERATION.

AND THOSE THAT FOLLOW, WE PRIDE OURSELVES ON BEING ONE OF THE MOST PROGRESSIVE CITIES IN TEXAS, YET WE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND FUND PROJECTS THAT HARM OUR COMMUNITY.

WE MUST FOCUS ON MAINTAINING AND EXPANDING OUR COMMITMENT TO CARBON FREE ENERGY.

RATHER THAN OPENING NEW POLLUTING POWER PLANTS, I URGE YOU TO PRIORITIZE THE HEALTH, SAFETY, AND FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY BY SUPPORTING A FULL TRANSITION TO CLEAN CARBON FREE ENERGY.

UH, MY NAME'S ANNA SCOTT.

UM, I'M A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE.

I'M A CLIMATE SCIENTIST AND I'M ALSO A COMMISSIONER ON THE JOINT SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION.

THOUGH THESE VIEWS TODAY ARE MY OWN, I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THIS RESOURCE PLAN ON AN ECONOMIC BASIS.

I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE SADDLING US WITH EXPENSIVE LEGACY EQUIPMENT THAT'S GOING TO BE QUICKLY OUT OF DATE AND WILL COST US MONEY AND EMISSIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO REGRET.

I'M CONCERNED WE'RE GONNA BE BACK HERE IN 10 YEARS THINKING WE WISH WE WOULD'VE DONE SOMETHING DIFFERENTLY.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF DETAILS IN THIS THAT I'M HEARING ABOUT THAT REALLY CONCERN ME.

IN PARTICULAR, I, I HAVE HEARD, AND DUNNO IF THIS IS TRUE, BUT THAT WE'VE IGNORED DIS UM, DISTRIBUTED, UH, RESOURCES AND THAT WE'VE ASSUMED FLAT AND NOT DECLINING COSTS FOR RENEWABLES.

UM, AGAIN, I DOUBLE CLICK ON ON THAT ONE.

UM, BUT I, I THINK THIS OBSCURES THE FACT THAT IF WE TAKE A STEP BACK AND, AND LOOK AT HOW WE'VE COME TO THIS PROCESS IN THE PAST, HISTORICALLY, WE'VE DONE A TERRIBLE JOB AT FORECASTING OUR ENERGY FUTURES.

IF YOU LOOK AT WHERE WE WERE 10 YEARS AGO, WE THOUGHT THAT WE WOULD HAVE 20% GROWTH OVER THE NEXT 15 YEARS, PRIMARILY DUE TO DATA CENTERS.

AND WE THOUGHT WE'D HAVE REALLY EXPENSIVE RENEWABLES.

INSTEAD, TODAY WE'VE HAD FLAT DEMAND AND WE'VE HAD, UH, AN ORDER OF MAGNITUDE DROP IN RENEWABLES.

TODAY, BATTERY PACKS ARE COMING OUTTA CHINA AT LIKE $50 A KILOWATT HOUR.

THIS WAS UNTHINKABLE, UH, EVEN JUST A FEW YEARS AGO.

AND INDEED, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND BATTERY DEVELOPERS ARE MAKING MONEY.

UM, LAZAR REPORTS THAT UTILITY SCALE PROJECTS ARE EXPERIENCING INTERNAL RATES OF RETURN OF UPWARDS OF 20%, INCLUDING A CORPUS CHRISTI PROJECT THAT'S FORECASTED, UM, A RETURN OF

[02:35:01]

THAT SOUNDS LIKE A REALLY GREAT INVESTMENT TO ME.

UM, THESE BATTERY, UH, ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS ARE ALSO FIRMING UP OUR GRID IN THE SUMMER AND SAVING TEXAS RATE PAYERS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TODAY.

WE'RE NOT ALONE IN FACING THIS CHOICE.

OTHER UTILITIES ARE FACING THIS, AND OVER 90% OF NEW CAPACITY INSTALLATIONS ARE FOR RENEWABLE AND BATTERIES.

I URGE US TO FOLLOW THAT TREND AND, AND DOUBLE DOWN ON CHEAP RELIABLE RENEWABLES.

NEXT SPEAKER IS BRENDA BURES, THEN NORMA CORTEZ, AND THEN ANA TORRES.

IF Y'ALL COME DOWN, THAT'D BE GREAT.

HELLO, PLEASANT.

GOOD MORNING TO EACH OF YOU.

I'M BRENDA BURES, DISTRICT NINE.

I DO BELIEVE AUSTIN ENERGY, OUR COMMUNITY OWNED TEAMWORK UTILITY COMPANY, HAS THE CAPABILITY TO MAKE A DECISION, ESPECIALLY WHEN RECOGNIZING THE SUPPORT IN THE COMMUNITY FOR US TO ALL MOVE FORWARD TOGETHER, NOT ENGAGING IN ANY FOR FUTURE, YOU KNOW, CONSTRUCTION ON SOMETHING THAT WILL USE FOSSIL FUELS, NO COAL.

INSTEAD, AS A SPRINGBOARD USED AUSTIN ENERGY'S GIFT TO US IN 20 14, 10 YEARS AGO, THE USE OF, UH, SOLAR CREDITS TO CUSTOMERS IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD AND FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE BECAUSE ANY OTHER CHOICE TO BUILD ANY NEW PLANTS IS RISKING THE HEALTH OF OUR ENVIRONMENT AND EVERY CITIZEN.

AND THAT HEALTH I REFER TO IS NOT JUST OF OUR HEALTH NOW, BUT ALSO GOING ON DATA THAT'S PROVEN INTERNATIONALLY, THAT THE EXPOSURES THAT INDIVIDUALS HAVE NOW SHOWS UP IN THEIR GRANDCHILDREN TO GENERATIONS LATER.

WE HAVE THE CHOICE TO STOP THIS.

WE'VE GOT CITIES THAT HAVE MADE THESE TRANSMISSIONS AND HAVE HAD REMARKABLE RESULTS IN TRAIL WASHINGTON, UH, TOKO, PIA, CHILE, AND THEY DID IT.

CHILE DID THIS IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.

I MEAN, IT'S REMARKABLE TO HEAR THE DISCUSSIONS IN THE THOSE COMMUNITIES, AND I THINK THAT WITH THE RECOGNITION OF THE SUPPORT AUSTIN ENERGY HAS WITH THIS COMMUNITY IN THE CONCESSIONS WE ARE WILLING TO MAKE THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD AS A TEAM AND RECOGNIZE BETTER RESULTS USING ESPECIALLY ALL THE ADDED DATA THAT WE HAVE FROM OTHER COMMUNITIES ON THIS PATH TO HELP OUR WORLD BE HEALTHY.

CHOICES REGARDING PAYING OUR UTILITY BILLS, PAYING, PAYING FOR OUR MEDICATIONS.

NEXT IS NORMA CORTEZ THAN ROANNA TORRES, THEN SUSAN LIPMAN.

WELL, GOOD MORNING.

OOPS, I LOST MY DOCUMENT.

JUST A SECOND.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR VELA COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WATSON.

MY NAME IS NORMA CORTEZ AND I'M A RESIDENT IN DISTRICT TWO.

I'M HERE JUST, I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF ENERGY ISSUES IN OUR CITY.

ENERGY CHOICES ARE MADE.

ENERGY CHOICES MADE IN THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN WILL DETERMINE WHETHER THE AUSTIN COMMUNITY CAN MEET OUR CLIMATE GOALS AND REDUCE POLLUTION.

I'M ASKING EACH OF YOU TO SUPPORT A FULLY CARBON FREE AND CLEAN ENERGY PLAN FOR OUR UTILITY.

WE CAN'T RELY ON FEDERAL REGULATIONS TO MAKE THE CHANGES WE NEED TO RETIRE FAYETTE AND OTHER FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS.

LOCAL ACTION IS NEEDED MORE NOW THAN EVER.

WE SHOULD NOT ADD ANOTHER POLLUTING POWER PLANT IN AUSTIN.

AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE STAKEHOLDER, UH, AS A STAKEHOLDER IN THE ENTERS, UH, AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN, I LEARNED THAT AMONGST THE CHALLENGES FACED IN MEETING THE ENERGY'S, UH, NEEDS, THE CITY IS NOT DOING ENOUGH, UH, TO FACILITATE OUR TRANSITION IN SUPPORT OF A CLEAN ENERGY PLAN, THUS HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES' ENVIRONMENT AND TO STOP POLLUTION AFFECTING FAMILIES.

THE STAKEHOLDER GROUP WAS VERY CLEAR IN STRESSING TOS AND ENERGY THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT CHALLENGES WE FACED WERE TO HAVE RELIABILITY AND AFFORDABILITY, UM, OF ENERGY SOURCES.

WE ALSO STRESSED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

THERE ARE STILL SOME CHALLENGES THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, HOWEVER, UM, THOSE ARE, ARE BEING WORKED THROUGH.

THAT SAID, IT'S RELEVANT AND IMPORTANT TO FACE THESE CHALLENGES FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

THERE ARE MANY RESIDENTS, SUCH AS MYSELF THAT ARE RETIRED, FOLKS LIVING ON A FIXED AND LIMITED INCOME.

WE STRUGGLE TO NAVIGATE MAKING

[02:40:01]

THANK YOU SO MUCH, UM, FOR, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND, UH, SUPPORTING A FULL TRANSITION TO CLEAN RENEW RENEWABLE ENERGY.

THANK YOU MA'AM.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

ROANNA TORRES, SUSAN LIPMAN, AND THEN JEN KRIEGER.

GOOD MORNING, CHAIR POOL, VICE CHAIR VELA, MAYOR WATSON AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

I'M ROXY TORRES AND AUSTIN RESIDENT FOR 11 YEARS.

I LIVE IN DISTRICT ONE WITH MY FIVE-YEAR-OLD AND PARTNER.

I'M A SENIOR DESIGNER AT REWIRING AMERICA AND AN ELECTRIFICATION NONPROFIT THAT HELPS AMERICANS SAVE MONEY, IMPROVE HEALTH, AND BUILD THE NEXT GENERATION OF THE CLEAN ENERGY WORKFORCE.

I'M HERE TODAY BECAUSE I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT AUSTIN'S GOAL TO ACHIEVE A HUNDRED PERCENT CARBON FREE CLEAN ENERGY PLAN BY 20 20 35.

AUSTIN IS A CITY WHERE FAMILIES THRIVE.

CHILDREN GROW UP SURROUNDED BY NATURE, AND RESIDENTS TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR HEALTH.

UM, FORBES CAME OUT WITH A, WITH A RECENT NUMBER WHERE WE, WE WERE CELEBRATED NATIONALLY AS ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST CITIES.

NOT BY ACCIDENT, BUT BECAUSE WE CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER AND THE ENVIRONMENT, WHICH MAKES AUSTIN SPECIAL, BUT OUR HEALTH AND OUR ENVIRONMENT ARE AT RISK.

FOSSIL FUELS FULL THE AIR WE BREATHE INSIDE OUR HOMES AND ACROSS THE CITY.

I THINK OF MY CHILD BREATHING AIR IN A HOME WITH A GAS STOVE.

EACH MEAL COOKED ON GAS EXPOSES CHILDREN TO HARMFUL CHEMICALS, INCREASING THE RISK OF ASTHMA TO UP TO 42% BEYOND OUR HOMES.

FOSSIL FUEL POLLUTES, UM, POLLUTION IS IN OUR AIR AND CONTRIBUTES TO 350,000 PREMATURE DEATHS IN THE US EVERY YEAR.

AND I CAN SEND YOUR REFERENCES TO ALL THESE NUMBERS.

WE'RE A CITY THAT VALUES HEALTHY CHOICES WITH SOME OF THE LOWEST SMOKING RATES IN THE COUNTRY.

SHOULDN'T WE ALSO PROTECT OUR AIR FROM POLLUTANTS AS HARMFUL AS SECONDHAND SMOKE? SHOULDN'T WE BE ABLE TO CHOOSE CLEAN, SAFE ENERGY THAT REFER REFLECTS OUR COMMUNITY VALUES? WE HAVE ALL THE CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS WE NEED TO REPLACE GAS PLANTS.

IF WE'RE STILL CONSIDERING PEAKER PLANTS, WE'RE NOT PUSHING HARD ENOUGH FOR THE CLEAN, HEALTHY, HEALTHIER FUTURE AUSTIN DESERVES.

IMAGINE AUSTIN AS ONE OF THE HEALTHIEST CITIES IN AMERICA AND A NATIONAL LEADER IN CLEAN ENERGY, A BEACON FOR A SUSTAINABLE, HEALTHY FUTURE.

THANK YOU HERE SO MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR THE TIME.

NEXT SPEAKER SUSAN LIPMAN, THEN JEN KRIEGER, THEN KEVIN FINCHER.

UH, GOOD MORNING, UH, CHAIR POOL AND BUS CHAIR VILLA AND THE COUNCIL MEMBERS AND MAYOR WATSON.

I'M, MY NAME IS SUSAN LIPMAN.

I LIVE IN SOUTH AUSTIN NEAR SLAUGHTER LANE AND, UM, IN D FIVE AND I'VE BEEN AN AUSTIN RESIDENCE SINCE 1967.

I'M HERE TO ASK THAT YOU PASS A RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN THIS YEAR AND THAT WE STAY ON A PATH TO CARBON FREE ENERGY BY 2035 AND ADD NO NEW FOSSIL FACILITIES.

I WANNA APPRECIATE BOTH, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTERS, UM, MY COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN FOR, UM, BEING SO SPECIFIC AND GETTING IN THE WEEDS AND, UH, ALLISON FOR ASKING FOR SPECIFIC AND, UM, GOALS AND, AND GUIDELINES FOR OUR PLAN.

UM, I WANNA EMPHASIZE AS OTHERS HAVE THAT I SEE A POWERFUL DOWNWARD TREND IN, UH, THE RENEWABLE RESOURCES THAT WE NEED, THE SOLAR AND THE BATTERIES.

I'VE EMAILED ALL OF YOU, UM, YESTERDAY, UH, WITH, UH, LINKS AND DATA ABOUT THAT BATTERY STORAGE DOWN 80% SOLAR POWER RELIABLY FREE DURING SUNNY PARTS OF THE DAY FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR, PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE AS PREDICTED BY A BLOOMBERG ANALYST IN THE FIF.

I COULD SAY MUCH MORE ABOUT THAT, BUT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE DONE IT TOO.

IN THE 57 YEARS THAT I'VE LIVED IN THIS PART OF TEXAS, I'VE SEEN DROUGHTS, FIRES, AND FLOODS AND I SURVIVED WINTER STORM URI.

WE SHOULD REMEMBER NOT ONLY THAT WE HAD A A, A TERRIBLE POWER FAILURE, BUT THAT WINTER STORM URI IS A MANIFESTATION OF THE EXTREME WEATHER, THE EXTREME COLD, AS WELL AS THE EXTREME HEAT THAT CLIMATE CHANGE GENERATES.

AND SO NOW WE START TO SEE PLANETARY BOUNDARIES STARTING TO DESTABILIZE.

AUSTIN MUST DO ITS FAIR SHARE OF TRANSITIONING OFF OF FOSSIL FUELS.

IF WE DON'T DO, WE EXPECT OTHER CITIES AND COUNTRIES TO TAKE UP THE SLACK FOR US.

WE HAVE AN ONE SENTENCE, WE HAVE AN URGENT MORAL DUTY TO LIVE A UP TO OUR PART OF THIS DOABLE CHALLENGE.

I DON'T THINK JEN KRIEGER'S HERE.

SO KEVIN FINCHER AND THEN DAVID LAVESQUE AND THEN MATT KREEL.

IF YOUR NAME'S BEEN CALLED, PLEASE COME DOWN TO THE FRONT SO YOU'RE READY TO GO.

[02:45:01]

WELCOME SIR.

UH, GOOD MORNING, UH, CHAIR POOLE, VICE CHAIR, VELA MAYOR AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS.

UH, MY NAME IS KEVIN FINCHER.

I'M THE CEO AND PRESIDENT OF THE AUSTIN REGIONAL MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION.

I AM A DISTRICT EIGHT RESIDENT, BUT I REPRESENT A CONSTITUENCY OF OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE IN ALL DISTRICTS.

MANUFACTURING IS A SIGNIFICANT GENERATOR OF MIDDLE INCOME JOBS AND THE BACKBONE OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY.

IN THE AUSTIN TRAVIS COUNTY AREA, WE HAVE OVER 2200 MANUFACTURERS THAT EMPLOY OVER 72,000 EMPLOYEES AT AN AVERAGE WAGE OF $126,000.

IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT AUSTIN ADOPT A PLAN FOR RELIABLE, CLEAN DISPATCHABLE ENERGY TO SUPPORT THIS GROWING ECONOMY.

AUSTIN IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF MANUFACTURING INNOVATION FROM SEMICONDUCTORS TO EVS AND TO AEROSPACE.

WE CAN ALSO INCLUDE MODULAR NUCLEAR REACTOR MANUFACTURING TO THAT LIST.

WE HAVE A MANUFACTURER IN AUSTIN THAT IS CURRENTLY MANUFACTURING THESE, THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.

SO RECENT TECHNOLO TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES AND A REASSESSMENT OF NUCLEAR AS A CLEAN SOURCE OF ENERGY HAS IGNITED SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT AND AN ADVANCEMENT.

MOST RECENTLY, THE BIPARTISAN PASSAGE OF THE FEDERAL ADVANCE ACT, UM, HAS SHOWN THE COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING NUCLEAR AS A CLEAN, RELIABLE SOURCE OF ENERGY UNDER THE EXISTING 2030 PLAN.

AUSTIN ENERGY IS PROHIBITED FROM EXPLORING AND I QUOTE ANY ADDITIONAL NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION RESOURCES UNDER THE PROPOSED 2035 PLAN.

THAT PROHIBITION HAS BEEN ELIMINATED AND WE SUPPORT THE NEW PLAN AS A PATHWAY AS WE MOVE TOWARDS NEW CLEANER TECHNOLOGY AND ALLOW A RUNWAY FOR AUSTIN ENERGY TO ADOPT THESE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES.

HAVE A GOOD DAY.

THANK YOU SIR.

I SEE, UM, A PROP COMING UP HERE.

LOOKS LIKE A SOLAR PANEL.

CAN Y'ALL SEE BEHIND THAT? OKAY.

YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES SIR.

GOOD MORNING FELLOW CITIZENS.

I'M DAVID FROM SAFARI.

I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO THE WORLD'S FIRST ALL IN ONE SOLAR PANEL MADE RIGHT HERE IN AUSTIN.

SAFARI IS CUTTING THE COST OF ROOFTOP SOLAR BY MORE THAN 20%.

AND OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A DECISION THAT WILL IMPROVE OUR ECONOMY, HELP THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES AND HELP AUSTIN KEEP AUSTIN CLEAN.

FOR EXAMPLE, PORTFOLIO 16 AND AUSTIN ENERGY'S RESOURCE PLAN CALLS FOR 860 MEGAWATTS OF LOCAL SOLAR.

THIS WOULD GENERATE APPROXIMATELY $1.7 BILLION IN INSTALLATION REVENUE TO LOCAL SOLAR COMPANIES WITH 50% OF THAT PAID FOR BY FEDERAL INCENTIVES.

APPROXIMATELY 100 NEW INSTALLATION, MAINTENANCE AND MANUFACTURING JOBS WOULD BE CREATED ELECTRICITY PRICES FOR ALL AUSTIN.

ELECTRICITY PRICES FOR ALL AUSTIN CUSTOMERS WOULD BE HELD UNDER THE 2023 STATE OF TEXAS LOW INCOME CUSTOMER ELECTRICITY BURDEN OF 5% BY REDUCING OUR FOUR CP DEMAND ON ERCOT.

FURTHERMORE, THE $450 MILLION THAT AUSTIN RESIDENTS SPEND ON DIRTY POWER WOULD BE REDUCED, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE AIR WE BREATHE WILL BE CLEANER FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

TODAY I'M ASKING CITY CA CITY COUNCIL TO CONSIDER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, CLEAN AIR AND INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP AS A POSITION, AS A CLEAN CITY IN THEIR DECISION TODAY I'M ASKING YOU TO BE THE HEROES THAT OUR CHILDREN NEED.

THANK YOU SO MUCH SIR.

NEXT IS MATT CREEL AND THEN BAGOT.

UH, MAYOR, MAYOR PRO TEM, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME'S MATT CREEL WITH OPPORTUNITY AUSTIN.

I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE RESOURCE AND GENERATION PLAN OPPORTUNITY.

AUSTIN SUPPORTS INVESTMENTS IN INFRASTRUCTURE THAT ENHANCE THE EFFICIENCY AND RELIABILITY OF SERVICES FOR COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS.

WE BELIEVE GOVERNMENTS SHOULD INVEST IN ELECTRICITY PROJECTS THAT PRIORITIZE THE RELIABILITY OF OUR GRID WHILE KEEPING COSTS LOW FOR CUSTOMERS.

EVERYONE HERE UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF RELIABILITY IN OUR ELECTRIC SERVICES AND THE IMPROVEMENTS AUSTIN ENERGY IS PROPOSING ARE VITAL FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR REGION.

WE APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THIS BALANCED PLAN AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO APPROVE IT.

NEXT SPEAKER HAYDEN BAGOT AND THEN MATT WELDON.

AND THEN DAVID RON, CHAIR POOLE MAYOR WATSON COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY.

MY NAME IS HAYDEN BAGOT.

I WORK FOR THE COALITION FOR CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY AND I'M ALSO A DISTRICT NINE RESIDENT.

LEMME START BY SAYING THE STAKEHOLDER PROCESS WAS ENGAGING, INFORMATIVE, AND THE END PRODUCT IS REFLECTIVE OF THE GROUP'S DIVERSE VALUES.

THEREFORE, I'M ASKING YOU TO SUPPORT THE GENERATION TOOLKIT THAT AUSTIN ENERGY PRESENTED TO YOU TODAY.

THIS RESOURCE PLAN WILL PRIORITIZE A HEALTHY LOCAL GENERATION MIX AND TRANSMISSION INVESTMENTS TO FULFILL FOUR CRITICAL MISSIONS FOR THE

[02:50:01]

UTILITY.

FIRST, THIS PLAN WILL CURB EXISTING AFFORDABILITY CONCERNS BY LEVERAGING LOCAL DISPATCHABLE GENERATION.

THIS GENERATION IN THE FORM OF BOTH BATTERY STORAGE AND LOW CAPACITY FACTOR PEAKER UNITS WILL OFFSET LOAD ZONE PRICE SEPARATION, ADDED TRANSMISSION, AND PORT CAPACITY WILL ALSO REDUCE CONGESTION COSTS.

SECOND, THE NEW RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN WILL IMPROVE SERVICE RELIABILITY BY INCREASING OUR LOCAL GENERATION PROFILE AND TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE.

LOCAL PEAKERS WILL PROVIDE BLACKSTAR CAPABILITY, VOLTAGE SUPPORT AND PREVENT FORCED OUTAGES.

THIRD, THIS GENERATION PLAN WILL RESULT IN A MORE EQUITABLE OUTCOME FOR ALL ELECTRIC CUSTOMERS.

THE LENS OF ENERGY IS TRADE-OFFS AND RATHER THAN FIXATING ON A LINEAR PATH TO 100% CARBON FREE, THIS PLAN WILL TACKLE RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY AND REDUCE EMISSIONS RELATIVE TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

THE LAST REASON IS WHY I CALL THIS PROPOSAL THE AUSTIN ENERGY INSURANCE PLAN.

THIS PLAN WILL STABILIZE AUSTIN ENERGY'S FINANCIAL STANDING AND THUS IMPROVE ITS LONG-TERM VIABILITY.

THIS PLAN WILL ALSO PROVIDE SAFEGUARDS AS AUSTIN ENERGY EXITS FAY.

IT PORTFOLIO MODELING SHOWS THAT PLANS WITHOUT A COMBINATION OF LOCAL DISPATCHABLE GENERATION RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT LIQUIDITY RISKS.

THIS PLAN, HOWEVER, WILL MAKE THE NECESSARY INVESTMENTS TO PRESERVE PUBLIC POWER IN AUSTIN.

NEXT SPEAKER MATT WELDON, THEN DAVID RON, THEN ZOE CALL.

UH, GOOD MORNING.

UH, MY NAME IS MATTHEW WELDON.

I LIVE IN, UH, COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX.

I'VE RAISED THREE BOYS IN AUSTIN OVER 26 YEARS, HAVE AN EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND I'M VERY SENSITIZED TO CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS.

FROM OBSERVATIONS FROM MY CHILDHOOD HOME IN COLORADO AT THE HEADWATERS DALE RIO GRANDE.

UH, I SERVED A TERM ON THE EUC WHERE I WAS A LEAD CHEERLEADER OF THE POLICY THAT BECAME REACH REDUCE EMISSIONS AFFORDABLY FOR CLIMATE HEALTH.

I BRING THAT INITIATIVE UP IN LARGE PART TO CONGRATULATE YOU IN AUSTIN ENERGY FOR ITS EXECUTION AND FOUR YEARS OF SUCCESS.

I POSIT THAT THIS PROGRAM IS THE LARGEST, MOST COST EFFICIENT AND UH, UH, EFFECTIVE EMISSION REDUCTION PROGRAM IN TEXAS.

UH, I ENJOY SAYING THAT, BUT IT'S MORE A REFLECTION OF HOW LITTLE WE'RE TRYING IN TEXAS AND THE FACT THAT WE HAVE VERY LIMITED CONTROL OVER, UH, THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT.

LESS THAN 50% OF IT IS UNDER OUR INFLUENCE.

I ADDITIONALLY POSIT, UH, THAT REACH HAS NO IDENTIFIABLE DOWNSIDES, UH, TO THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT DELIVERS A LIST OF BENEFITS IN TERMS OF HEALTH ENVIRONMENT AND ECONOMIC POSITIVES FOR TEXAS BASED ENERGY PRODUCTION OF ALL KINDS.

AND I SAY THAT MORE FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHERS OUTSIDE THIS ROOM.

UM, BUT I, IT IS RELEVANT HERE BECAUSE, UH, THE PORTFOLIO DISCUSSIONS, UH, THIS YEAR ARE FOCUSED ON THREE BROAD ASSESSMENT METRICS, NET PRESENT VALUE AND THEN SEEMINGLY APART EMISSIONS, UM, UH, THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A GIVEN PORTFOLIO AS A VARIABLE TO CAPTURE SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABILITY CONCERNS.

AND AN ASSESSMENT OF LOST LOAD TO CAPTURE RELIABILITY.

UH, CREATING METRICS OF EVALUATION IS A KEY WORK OF THE COUNCIL.

ASSIGNING DOLLAR VALUES TO EMISSIONS AND LOST LOAD IS EASILY DONE.

AND USING ONLY THE DATA FROM AUSTIN ENERGY AND EPA FIGURES FOR SOCIAL COSTS AND CARBON SUBSIDY RATES PAID BY THE STATE OF TEXAS TO MITIGATE NOX AND THE SIGNIFICANT AND I WOULD DEPOSIT MARKET DISTORTING FIGURE THAT THE PUC PLACES ON LOST LOAD.

YOU CAN PUT ALL THE SCENARIOS ON A COMMON COST RUBRIC AND IF YOU DO SO, IT SHOWS THAT PORTFOLIOS 16 THROUGH 17 ARE YOUR BEST OPTIONS.

RENEWABLE ENERGY MAKES SENSE AS AN INVESTMENT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

APPRECIATE YOU NEXT SPEAKER.

AND DO WE HAVE DAVID, RON, AND ZOE CALLED THEN MARIAMA B.

VERY GOOD WELCOME.

NEW PEAKER NATURAL GAS PLANTS WOULD LOCK US INTO CONTINUING OUR EMISSIONS FOR CARBON AND WOULD GO AGAINST OUR CURRENT, UH, CLIMATE PLANS OF HAVING NO NEW FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION.

GOOD AFTERNOON, CHAIR POOL, UH, VICE CHAIR VELA, MAYOR WATSON AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS DAVID RON.

I LIVE IN COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE.

I'M A LOCAL MUSICIAN AND IMPROVISER.

I'M A NATIVE AUSTINITE AND THIS IS MY FIRST TIME SPEAKING HERE AT CITY HALL, SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO BE HERE.

UH, I'M HERE BECAUSE I'M CONCERNED ABOUT KEEPING AUSTIN A LIVABLE CITY.

I WAS BORN HERE IN AUSTIN 35 YEARS AGO WHEN THE NUMBER OF DAYS OVER A HUNDRED DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WAS 17 DAYS.

LAST YEAR, THE NUMBER OF DAYS OVER A HUNDRED DEGREES FAHRENHEIT WAS 80 DAYS.

UM, SO THAT'S ONE IN FIVE DAYS.

LAST YEAR WAS OVER A HUNDRED.

UM, WE'RE NOW LIVING IN A TIME WHERE MY MAIN ACTIVITY IN SUMMERS IS GOING TO BARTON SPRINGS OR HUNKERING DOWN INSIDE OR IN THE WINTER.

IT'S BEING SCARED THAT A CRAZY STORM WILL COME IN AND THAT I'LL LOSE MY POWER.

SO I'M VERY WORRIED THAT IF AUSTIN KEEPS GETTING HOTTER OR THE WEATHER GETS MORE ERRATIC, I WILL HAVE TO LEAVE, WHICH I DON'T WANT TO DO.

MY PARENTS STILL LIVE HERE.

UH, MY CAT AND MY GIRLFRIEND STILL LIVE HERE AND AUSTIN IS MY HOME.

SO TO STOP TEMPERATURES FROM INCREASING, WE HAVE TO STOP EMITTING FOSSIL FUELS.

UM, BUILDING

[02:55:01]

ADDITIONALLY, UH, I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP THE FAYETTE COAL PLANT.

I KNOW WE'RE ALL AWARE OF HOW STICKY AND DIFFICULT THAT SITUATION IS.

UM, AND I APPLIED YOU AND CON UH, ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONTINUE WORKING ON THAT.

I KNOW IT'S VERY DIFFICULT, BUT IT IS 80% OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S, UH, CARBON EMISSIONS AND USES 5 BILLION GALLONS OF WATER A YEAR.

UH, WHILE WE'RE IN A CRITICAL DROUGHT, I URGE YOU TO PUSH AUSTIN ENERGY TO CREATE A RESOURCE PLAN AND APPROVE ONE THAT FOCUSES ON CLEAN RENEWABLE ENERGY, BATTERY STORAGE, AND PHASES OUT FOSSIL FUELS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE WORK YOU DO, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

NEXT SPEAKER ZOE CALL THEN MARIA ABBA, THEN HAILEY LOCKETT.

HI THERE.

MY NAME IS ZOE CALL AND I'M A UT STUDENT CURRENTLY STUDYING GOVERNMENT SUSTAINABILITY STUDIES IN SMART CITIES AND I RESIDE IN DISTRICT NINE.

I'M SKIPPING MY UNIVERSITY CLASSES TODAY TO ASK YOU TO FULLY SUPPORT AND PRIORITIZE A FORCEFUL COMMITMENT TO ADVANCING CARBON NEUTRALITY IN AUSTIN, WHICH NATURALLY REQUIRES REJECTING PROPOSALS THAT FURTHER ENTRENCH AUSTIN IN FOSSIL FUEL POLITICS AND POWER.

GIVEN THE 2035 PLAN, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THE CITY OF AUSTIN TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO ADVANCE RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION AND REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, ESPECIALLY THROUGH IMPROVEMENTS IN THE TRANSPORTATION, ENERGY AND WASTE SECTORS.

ANY FAILURE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SUCH OPPORTUNITIES WILL GREATLY HINDER THE CITY FROM ACHIEVING ITS CARBON NEUTRALITY GOAL.

EVEN MORE THOUGH DOUBLING DOWN ON FOSSIL FUEL POWER COULD HINDER THE CITY FROM BEING ENERGY SECURE.

FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY HAS PROVEN UN UNRELIABLE IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LIKE DURING THE WINTER STORMS WHEN SOME TERRESTRIAL PLANTS FROZE OVER AND WERE UNABLE TO FUNCTION OR DURING RECENT HURRICANES WHEN OFFSHORE EXTRACTION TEMPORARILY SHUT OFF.

AND BOTH OF THESE SITUATIONS, RENEWABLE ENERGY PLAYED A KEY ROLE IN HELPING MEET ENERGY DEMAND.

THUS, INVESTING IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY PRODUCTION METHODS RATHER THAN FOSSIL FUEL SOURCES BECOMES ESSENTIAL FOR REACHING A MORE SECURE ENERGY LANDSCAPE IN A CONTINUALLY CHANGING CLIMATE.

FURTHERMORE, THOUGH, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT AUSTIN TAKE EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO REJECT NEW FOSSIL FUEL ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE PROPOSALS, SUCH ENERGY SOURCES WOULD MASSIVELY INHIBIT THE POSSIBILITY FOR AND LIKELY RESULT IN THE POSTPONING OF AUSTIN'S 2035 CARBON NEUTRALITY GOAL.

THIS VERY AMBITIOUS GOAL MUST BE MET WITH EQUALLY AMBITIOUS EFFORTS.

AUSTIN DOES NOT NEED TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST OF CITIES THAT FAIL TO MEET THEIR CLIMATE GOALS BECAUSE OF A LACK OF COMMITMENT AND SUFFICIENT PLANNING.

AUSTIN IS IDEALLY POSITIONED TO ACHIEVE RESILIENCE IN ITS FUTURE AS LONG AS TRULY SMART, PRUDENT AND THOUGHTFUL DECISIONS ARE MADE IN THE PRESENT.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.

MY NAME IS MARIA AMBA.

I'M A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN, AND I'M IN COUNCIL DISTRICT NINE.

I'M HERE TODAY TO TO STATE MY CONCERNS AND HOPE FOR THE FUTURE.

AS A COLLEGE STUDENT AND HUMAN RIGHT ADVOCATE, I FEEL A PROFOUND RESPONSIBILITY TOWARDS SHAPING THE FUTURE THAT PRIORITIZES THE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF BOTH THE ENVIRONMENT AND YOUNG CHILDREN WHO WILL INHERIT THIS EARTH.

THAT'S WHY I BELIEVE THE CITY OF AUSTIN MUST FULLY COMMIT TO ADAPTING CLEAN ENERGY CLEAN ENERGY IS A PR PROVEN PATHWAY TOWARDS SUSTAINABILITY.

COUNTRIES LIKE DENMARK AND GERMANY HIGHLIGHT THIS SUCCESS.

DENMARK GETS NEARLY HALF OF ITS HALF OF ITS ELECTRICITY FROM, SORRY, FROM WIND POWER, AND GERMANY SHOWCASES THE SOLAR ENERGY CAN THRIVE EVEN IN LESS SUNNY CLIMATES.

THESE NATIONS HAVE REDUCED CARBON EMISSIONS, CREATED GREEN JOBS, AND ENHANCED ENERGY INDEPENDENCE.

IT'S LONG OVERDUE TO SHUT DOWN COAL PLANTS.

AS TEXANS, WE HAVE UNPARALLELED ACCESS TO RENEWABLE RESOURCES LIKE WIND AND SOLAR.

THESE RESOURCES ARE ABUNDANT, RELIABLE, AND CAPABLE OF MEETING OUR ENERGY DEMANDS WHILE REDUCING HARMFUL EMISSIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH ISSUES.

RESEARCH CONSISTENTLY SHOWS THAT FOSSIL FUEL POLLUTION DISPROPORTIONATELY HARMS YOUNG CHILDREN LEADING TO HIGHER RATES OF ASTHMA AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHALLENGES.

I CAN'T IMAGINE A FUTURE WHERE WE KNOWINGLY CHOOSE TO SUBJECT OUR YOUNGS AND MOST VULNERABLE TO THESE AVOIDABLE DAMAGES.

VOTE FOR CLEAN ENERGY.

TRANSITIONING TO CLEAN ENERGY IS NOT JUST A TECHNICAL DECISION, IT'S A PROFOUND MORAL OBLIGATION.

I ASSUME THAT SOME OF Y'ALL HAVE CHILDREN, NIECES, NEPHEWS, AND EVEN GRANDCHILDREN.

THEY DESERVE BETTER BY EMBRACING CLEAN ENERGY.

WE PROTECT OUR ENVIRONMENT, SAFEGUARD OUR HEALTH, AND CREATE A FUTURE FOR OUR YOUTHS.

VOTE FOR CLEAN ENERGY.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER, PLEASE.

NEXT IS HAILEY LOCKETT, THEN BEN SOTHEBY, THEN DELILAH RAMIREZ.

[03:00:01]

GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS HAILEY LOCKETT, AND I'M THE CURRENT CAMPUS ORGANIZER AT MOVE UT AND A SENIOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS.

I SPEAK TO YOU TODAY AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE STUDENT BODY THAT COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY, AS WELL AS A RESIDENT OF DISTRICT NINE.

IT IS AN HONOR TO STAND BEFORE YOU AS WE UNITE FOR CLEAN ENERGY.

I URGE YOU TO SUPPORT A CARBON FREE AND ENERGY AND CLEAN ENERGY STRATEGY THAT REFLECTS THE NEEDS AND VALUES OF THE CITIZENS THAT YOU REPRESENT.

THE CLIMATE CRISIS IS NO LONGER A DISTANT THREAT.

IT IS HERE NOW.

WE CANNOT AFFORD TO DELAY THE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY ANYMORE.

AUSTINITES ARE ALREADY BEARING THE BIG IMPACT AND COST OF PAST AND ACTIONS, INCLUDING THE POLLUTED AIR AND IMPACTS OF THE WARMING CLIMATE BUILDING.

A NEW METHANE GAS PLANT WILL ONLY WITH ONLY VAGUE PROMISES OF TRANSITIONING TO GREEN HYDROGEN, ANOTHER SOURCE OF AIR POLLUTION IS NOT THE PATH FORWARD.

WE MUST INVEST IN SOLUTIONS THAT PRIORITIZE HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY FOR OUR COLLECTIVE FUTURES.

THE EXTREME WEATHER MAKES IT CHALLENGING FOR MANY TEXANS TO WORK AND LIVE COMFORTABLY.

AS YOU CAN TELL FROM MY VOICE, I'VE HAD A COLD THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS, AND I'VE EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND HOW POOR AIR QUALITY WORSENED BY POLLUTION CAN AFFECT THE HEALTH OF NOT ONLY MYSELF, BUT MANY OTHERS THAT WE CARE ABOUT.

THE AIR QUALITY FOR THE PAST WEEK HAS BEEN RATED FAIR, DEFINED BY THE A CCU WEATHER AS GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE FOR SOME.

WHY SHOULD AUSTINITES BE SUBJECTED TO FAIR AIR QUALITY WHEN WE CAN DO SOMETHING TO MAKE IT EXCELLENT? ADDING ANOTHER POLLUTING POWER PLANT IN EAST AUSTIN SHOULD NOT BE A CONSIDERATION TODAY.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS DRIVING UP ELECTRICITY BILLS EVERY SUMMER AS RISING TEMPERATURES DEMAND MORE COOLING COSTS THAT I, ALONG WITH MANY OTHER RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT.

MY PAST SUMMER BILL WAS NEARLY $600.

VOTE FOR CLEAN ENERGY.

THANK YOU, MR. SOTHEBY.

HI, MY NAME IS BEN SOTHEBY.

UH, I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MYSELF, ALTHOUGH I'M A PROUD D FOUR RESIDENT, A PROUD MEMBER OF F 3 16 24.

I'M HERE TO TELL Y'ALL, UH, BASICALLY WHAT I MENTIONED AT THE EUC.

I'VE BEEN GOING TO THOSE MEETINGS FOR MONTHS NOW.

UH, I MENTIONED LAST NIGHT THE POLITICAL WILL, WHICH IS ON DISPLAY HERE TODAY.

THE POLITICAL WILL IN OUR COMMUNITY IS FOR MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN RENEWABLE GENERATION STORAGE FOR IT TO BE UNION BUILT AND RUN.

THAT'S WHERE THE POLITICAL WILL IS.

UH, THERE'S NOT POLITICAL WILL FOR, UH, YOU KNOW, GENERATION BASED ON BURNING THINGS.

UM, PEOPLE DON'T WANT THAT.

UH, SO THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION LAST NIGHT, UH, ABOUT THE, UH, ABOUT THE PEAKER PLANTS, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S LIKE LOTS OF CONCERN ABOUT THE, THE FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS OF WHEN, WHEN DEMAND IS SPIKING HIGH, THE COST.

UH, AND I I THINK WE NEED TO ASK MORE QUESTIONS ABOUT SOME OTHER OPTIONS THAT EXIST FOR ADDRESSING THOSE TYPES OF VULNERABILITIES AND ADDING SOME MORE STABILITY, PARTICULARLY ON THINGS THAT I, I HAVEN'T HEARD MUCH CONVERSATION ABOUT.

UH, LARGE SCALE, UH, GEOTHERMAL STORAGE.

UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT GEN, UH, PILOT PLANT FOR GENERATION, BUT WHAT ABOUT STORAGE IN THAT, IN THAT SENSE, STORAGE DOESN'T JUST HAVE TO BE BATTERIES, ALTHOUGH THAT SHOULD BE A GREAT PART OF OUR MIX.

IF WE DEPLOY THAT RIGHT NOW, UH, AND AND DO A MAJOR INVESTMENT IN THAT, WE CAN HAVE, ALLOW OURSELVES SOME MORE TIME TO SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING DOWN THE ROAD AND NOT HAVE TO IMPLEMENT ANY KIND OF, UH, FOSSIL FUEL TECHNOLOGIES UNTIL WE SEE WHAT THE LANDSCAPE IS ON TECHNOLOGY AND ESPECIALLY AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL FOR REGULATORY AND FINANCIAL INCENTIVES.

ONE OF THE BENEFITS THAT WERE MENTIONED, UH, LAST NIGHT AND TODAY ABOUT THESE, THESE PEAKER GAS PLANTS IS THE BLACK START.

YOU KNOW, THAT THEY CAN START WHEN THE GRID IS COMPLETELY DOWN, BUT I HAVEN'T SEEN PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THAT BATTERIES AND OTHER TYPES OF GREEN STORAGE HAVE THAT SAME ABILITY.

THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO THAT, AND NOT ONLY THAT, THEY HAVE ABILITY TO ACCEPT LOAD MR IN THOSE SCENARIOS.

MR. APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.

OUR NEXT SPEAKER PLEASE.

DELILAH RAMIREZ, PAUL ROBBINS, AND THEN RYAN P*****K.

MR. ROBBINS, FEEL FREE TO COME ON DOWN TO THE FRONT ROW.

UM, GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS DELILAH RAMIREZ.

I LIVE IN DISTRICT NINE.

I'M A GOVERNMENT AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS DOUBLE MAJOR AT UT AUSTIN.

UM, I'M HERE WITH THE HOPEFUL KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU ALL UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY REQUISITE AND PRODUCING ANY POSSIBLE TANGIBLE AND CONSEQUENTIAL CHANGE IN OUR APPROACH TO CLIMATE EFFORTS AS WE HEAD INTO THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

UM, I'M NOT HERE TO COMMENT EX EXTENSIVELY ON THE STATE OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS RIGHT NOW, UM, BUT WE ALL KNOW THAT A FOSSIL FUEL AND OIL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE AND CEO IS NOW OUR POTENTIAL NEW NATIONAL ENERGY

[03:05:01]

SECRETARY.

UM, THIS SHOULD GIVE A CLEAR IMAGE ON WHAT THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL ENERGY REGULATION POLICY IS GOING TO LOOK LIKE, UM, AS WE PROGRESS THROUGH THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.

UM, I'M HERE TO REMIND YOU OF THE RESPONSIBILITY, UM, THAT YOU HAVE TAKEN ON TO PROTECT, UM, THIS CITY FROM HOSTILE AND REGRESSIVE POLICY, UH, THAT FUNDAMENTALLY IMPACTS OUR MOST VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES.

IT'S WELL ESTABLISHED IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH FIELDS THAT LOW INCOME RACIAL MINORITY COMMUNITIES DISPROPORTIONATELY BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE EFFECTS OF CARBON POLLUTION AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

THEY'RE THE FIRST ONES LIKELY TO BE MET WITH THE EMISSIONS LET OFF BY THE NEAREST POWER PLANT.

THEY'RE THE FIRST ONES TO HAVE THEIR LIVES DEVASTATED BY EXTREME CLIMATE EVENTS THAT WE'VE SEEN, AND THEY'RE THE LAST ONES TO RECEIVE THE RESOURCES NECESSARY FOR THEM TO, UH, BE ABLE TO SURVIVE THESE EVENTS.

UM, I'VE HEARD, AND I'VE WATCHED, AND I FELT FROM MANY OF YOU AND THOSE ADJACENT TO YOU, THE PRIDE THAT THIS COUNCIL AND OUR MAYOR TAKES IN SUING AGAINST AND FIGHTING AGAINST AND DEFYING, UM, A VERY REPUBLICAN STATE LEGISLATURE THAT WE HAVE.

AND I SHARE THAT SAME PRIDE AS WELL.

UM, I KNOW THAT THE EPA RULES ON CLIMATE EMISSIONS EARLIER IN APRIL, UM, LIT A FIRE UNDER AE.

UM, AND THEY WERE A DAILY REMINDER OF JUST HOW MUCH OF A BURDEN, UH, THAT FIRE IS ON THIS CITY.

UM, UNFORTUNATELY, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY IS GOING TO LIKELY SEE A REPRIEVE OF THAT PRESSURE, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD.

AND THE NEW ADMINISTRATION, UM, DO NOT ACCEPT THIS REPRIEVE.

DO NOT REMAIN COMPLACENT IN THIS.

NEXT SPEAKER, MR. ROBBINS.

LAST THREE SPEAKERS ARE PAUL ROBBINS, RYAN P*****K, AND AUSTIN WELLS.

WELCOME MR. ROBBINS COUNSEL.

YOU ARE BEEN ASKED TO AGREE TO A GENERATION PLAN THAT ADDS NEW NATURAL GAS CAPACITY, WHILE AN EFFECTIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY MEASURE IS IGNORED.

THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION RECENTLY ASKED COUNCIL TO APPROVE SOMETHING THAT AUSTIN ENERGY REPEATEDLY IGNORED HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS IN THE NEW ENERGY CODE.

AUSTIN ENERGY HAS REPEATEDLY BEEN AVERSE TO THIS, UNDERSTAND THAT CONVENTIONAL ELECTRIC RESISTANCE WATER HEATING IS PROFOUNDLY EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE, UH, AND IT'S PROFOUNDLY INEFFICIENT.

IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, THE UTILITY HAS ADDED ABOUT 68,000 ALL ELECTRIC WATER HEATERS, WHICH ADDS ABOUT $14 MILLION A YEAR IN COSTS, UH, AND ABOUT 24 CUMULATIVE PEAK MEGAWATTS OF SUMMER DEMAND.

UH, IF THESE, UH, IF THESE HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS HAD BEEN INSTALLED, UH, WHILE I AND OTHER COMMISSION MEMBERS UH, BROUGHT THIS UP DURING THE 2024 CODE REVISIONS, WE WERE TOLD BY THE CITY THAT WHAT WE PROPOSED WAS ILLEGAL.

HOWEVER, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN DOING THIS ILLEGAL ACTIVITY FOR TWO YEARS, SO I DON'T GET IT.

SO IN ESSENCE, I AM ASKING YOU TO PLEASE CONSIDER THE REQUIREMENT FOR HEAT PUMP WATER HEATERS IN THE NEW ENERGY CODE TO BE AN ESSENTIAL ISSUE IN THE GENERATION PLAN DISCUSSIONS.

THANK YOU, MR. ROBBINS.

MR. P*****K.

IN SPEAKING WITH ENGINEERS.

AFTERNOON, RYAN P*****K, DISTRICT NINE RESIDENT HERE REPRESENTING THE INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF ELECTRICAL WORKERS.

WE APPRECIATE OUR INCLUSION IN THE STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS.

WE DO BELIEVE THAT THE PRIOR PRIORITIZATION OF AUSTINITES NEEDS AS THE STAKEHOLDERS DETERMINE THEM TO BE AS ACCURATE AND WE SUPPORT THEM FULLY.

THOSE PRIORITIES ARE IN DESCENDING ORDER, RELIABLE, AFFORDABLE, AND CARBON FREE.

WE WOULD ALSO ADD AS A COMMUNITY PRIORITY ABOVE THOSE THREE AUSTIN ENERGY STATUS AS A MUNICIPALLY OWNED PUBLIC UTILITY.

THAT BEING SAID, WE'RE NOT YET CONFIDENT THAT THE ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS AND THEIR POTENTIAL WITH RESPECT TO THE RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN HAS RECEIVED DUE CONSIDERATION.

THIS SUMMER, I WAS INVITED TO JOIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S GEO SYMPOSIUM TO CREATE A ROADMAP FOR THE VIABILITY OF RECENT ADVANCES IN DRILLING TECH AND ENHANCED GEOTHERMAL METHODS.

LAST MONTH I VISITED THE SAGE GEO SAGE GEOSYSTEMS PILOT SITE IN CHRISTINE, TEXAS AND LIKE PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE ELSE, I'VE BEEN LEARNING A LOT ABOUT GEOTHERMAL IN A VERY SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME.

BECAUSE OF HOW QUICKLY THIS IS ADVANCING, I CAN'T EXPRESS ENOUGH HOW INCREDIBLE THE POTENTIAL OF THESE SYSTEMS ARE FOR ENERGY STORAGE.

THE AMOUNT OF QUESTIONS IT ANSWERS FOR WITH RESPECT TO RENEWABLES TRANSITIONING WORKERS AWAY FROM THE OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY AND MUCH MORE

[03:10:01]

THERE'S NO HESITATION IN THEIR CONFIDENCE THAT THE CURRENT PILOT PROJECTS WILL BE SUCCESSFUL IN THEIR CAPABILITY OF DOING THE THINGS THAT THEY THEORIZE THEY'LL BE ABLE TO DO.

THIS STUFF IS ONLY A COUPLE OF YEARS AWAY FROM BEING DEPLOYED AT SCALE, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL GOING TO BE SHOCKED AT HOW FAST IT WILL SCALE.

IT SHOULD IN THE NEAR FUTURE, BE COST COMPETITIVE WITH NATURAL GAS WITHOUT GAS'S VOLATILE PRICING OR REGULATION.

WE'D LOVE TO DISCUSS THIS FURTHER WITH BOTH, BOTH AUSTIN ENERGY AND COUNCIL AND WE'RE ALL EARS TO THE HURDLES THAT MAY STILL BE IN PLACE.

AND WE WANT TO AFFIRM THAT I-B-W-I-B-E-W IS DEDICATED TO THE PRIORITIES I MENTIONED, BUT WE'RE NOT SATISFIED THAT GEOTHERMAL HAS RECEIVED THE CONSIDERATION.

AND I THINK IS THERE IS OUR LAST SPEAKER, FINAL SPEAKER.

SPEAKER IS AUSTIN WELLS.

MR. WELLS, WELCOME.

YOU HAVE THE CLEAR DISTINCTION OF BRINGING US HOME.

YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES, SIR.

HI THERE.

UM, YEAH, MY NAME'S AUSTIN WELLS.

I'M A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE AT A CC.

UM, GOOD MORNING TO ALL OF Y'ALL AFTERNOON.

UM, BUT YEAH, HERE TODAY TO SPEAK ABOUT, UM, SOME CLIMATE INITIATIVES.

UH, SO IN SEPTEMBER, 2021, I KNOW THE CITY COUNCIL ADOPTED THE AUSTIN CLIMATE EQUITY PLAN.

THIS CITY MADE A GROUNDBREAKING PROMISE TO OUR RESIDENTS TO ACHIEVE NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2040.

THIS PLEDGE WAS NOT JUST A VISION, BUT A RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF OUR COMMUNITY, THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR PLANET AND THE FUTURE OF OUR CHILDREN.

WHOEVER THE DECISION TO BUILD A METHANE POWER PLANT, UM, DIRECTLY CONTRADICTS TO THAT PROMISE.

METHANE, WHILE OFTEN LABELED AS NATURAL GAS, IS NEITHER CLEAN NOR SUSTAINABLE.

IT IS 25, 25 TIMES MORE POTENT THAN CARBON DIOXIDE.

AND AS A GREENHOUSE GAS, IT LEAKS THROUGHOUT ITS PRODUCTION AND USE CYCLE, UNDERMINING ANY CLAIMS OF CLIMATE BENEFITS.

THE CITY MAY LEAD THE STATE IN CLEAN ENERGY, HOWEVER, INVESTING IN A METHANE PLANT TODAY LOCKS OUR COMMUNITY INTO DECADES OF FOSSIL FUEL DEPENDENCE WHEN WE SHOULD BE TRANS, UH, TRANSITIONING TO EXCLUSIVELY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

AS A STUDENT LEADER, I SEE FIRSTHAND THE PASSION MY PEERS AT A CC AND BEYOND HAVE FOR PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT.

WE ARE THE GENERATION INHERITING THE CONSEQUENCES OF TODAY'S DECISIONS, AND WE ARE DETERMINED TO CREATE A FUTURE THAT PRIORITIZES SUSTAINABILITY AND EQUITY ACROSS OUR CAMPUSES.

STUDENTS ARE LEADING CLEANUPS, ADVOCATING FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CHAMPIONING THE CLIMATE JUSTICE MOVEMENT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN A CLEAN, LIVABLE PLANET FOR ALL.

AND WE WANT TO SEE AUSTIN STAND AS A MODEL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT REFLECTS OUR VALUES AND OUR ASPIRATIONS.

RATHER THAN INVESTING IN OUTDATED ENERGY P PRACTICES, I URGE THE COUNCIL TO EMBRACE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS.

THIS INCLUDES INVESTING IN RENEWABLE ENERGY, IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND SUPPORTING COMMUNITY DRIVEN SOLAR INITIATIVES.

UM, WITH ALL THAT SAID, IF A METHANE POWER PLANT WERE TO BE PUT NEXT TO A CC, WE WOULD BE VERY MUCH AGAINST IT.

AND TO PUT IT NEXT TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL WHERE THOSE STUDENTS DON'T HAVE THE VOICE THE COLLEGE STUDENTS HAVE IS VERY WRONG.

WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE TODAY.

ARE THERE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS, MS. EVERHART? OKAY, GREAT.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR SPEAKERS.

OKAY, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK UP FOR ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.

I HAVE COUNCIL MEMBER FUENTES, THEN COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON AND COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS.

IF WE CAN, UM, PUT UP THE SLIDE DECK ONLINE.

I WANNA REFERENCE THE SLIDE ABOUT TRADE-OFFS UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS BETWEEN THE THREE PORTFOLIOS THAT ARE REFERENCED IN THE PRESENTATION.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT SLIDE.

OH, SLIDE 35 IS THE NUMBER ON IT.

DOES EVERYBODY HAVE ACCESS TO THE SLIDES FROM THE EUC PRESENTATION LAST NIGHT? SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT.

IS THAT RIGHT? UM, I DON'T, I THINK THIS IS FROM TODAY'S PRESENTATION, SO.

VERY GOOD.

WE DIDN'T HAVE THE OTHER INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY.

THANKS.

PROCEED PLEASE.

IT'S JUST THE TRADE-OFFS UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS.

I WANTED TO WALK THROUGH THAT PARTICULAR SLIDE AS THAT'S GETTING, UM, PULLED UP.

I JUST WANNA ASK A CLARIFYING QUESTION.

23.

IS IT 23? THERE WE GO.

YES, THAT'S IT.

OF AS THE LAST RESORT, IT'S IN THEIR NAME.

I JUST, YOU MAKE IT.

WANNA UNDERSTAND IF WE WERE TO BUILD NEW PEAKER PLANTS, IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT ERCOT OPERATORS COULD ASK US TO USE THEM ON DEMAND AND THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO COMPLY AT THAT ORDER? IS THAT RIGHT? SO WHEN YOU, UM, HAVE GENERATION IN THE MARKET, YOU DECIDE WHEN IT RUNS.

THAT'S REALLY PART OF THE MARKET IS IT'S WHAT'S WHAT'S MOST EFFICIENT, WHICH UNITS RUN FIRST, RIGHT? CLEAN ENERGY ALL FIRST AND THEN PEAKER UNITS RIGHT.

THEN THEN USE SOME BASE LOAD GENERATION AND THEN, UM, PEAKERS YOU USE KIND

[03:15:01]

RIGHT? ERCOT WOULD ONLY TELL US TO TURN ON THE UNIT IF THERE WAS A, A RELIABILITY CONCERN THAT IS RIGHT THERE HAPPENING RIGHT AT THE MOMENT.

AND THE UNIT COULD ACTUALLY SOLVE IT.

THEY'RE RUNNING AN ANALYSIS IN THE BACKGROUND, AS ARE WE, TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S THE, THE, THE SAVING, THE SAVING ITEM RIGHT THERE.

AND, AND THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER.

WE CAME, WE CAME, WE, THEY REQUIRED US TO TURN THE UNITS ON ONCE, UM, IN THE SUMMER OF 2023.

BUT IT'S NOT THAT ERCOT GETS TO DECIDE WHEN THE UNITS RUN.

IT'S REALLY A MARKET DRIVEN FUNCTION AS A WHOLE.

BUT LAST YEAR, ERCOT ASKED US TO TURN ON ONE OF OUR GENER GENERATORS AND WE COMPLIED.

SO THAT IS, YOU KNOW, IF WE BUILD NEW PEAKERS, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE ALL UNDERSTANDING THAT IS OUT THERE AND THAT IT HAS HAPPENED.

IN FACT, YOU JUST SAID LAST YEAR IT HAPPENED AND THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN WITH THESE NEW PEAKERS.

IT, IT HAPPENED BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE SUFFICIENT VOLTAGE SUPPORT IN OUR LOCAL SERVICE TERRITORY.

AND SO IF WE BUILT NEW, UH, UNITS AND WE COMBINED THAT WITH, YOU KNOW, THE BATTERY STORAGE AND ALL THE DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT, WE'RE LOOKING TO MEET ALL OF OUR NEEDS UNDER A MYRIAD OF CONDITIONS SO THAT THAT WOULDN'T BE THE CASE.

RIGHT.

WE'D BE BE IN A SITUATION WHERE WE'RE IN CONTROL OF PROVIDING THE CLEANEST POSSIBLE ENERGY AND THEN THESE PEAKERS ARE ONLY USED AS THE LAST RESORT WHEN THE DEMAND IS THE HIGHEST.

THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY AS NECESSARY.

I THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING.

'CAUSE YOU WERE SAYING TO MEET OUR OWN LOCAL DEMAND.

UM, SO FOR THIS SLIDE, JUST WALK ME THROUGH, I WANNA UNDERSTAND, YOU MENTIONED THAT WITH THE THREE PORTFOLIOS PORTFOLIO, 18, 14, AND 19, UM, WHAT THE SAVINGS WOULD BE IN, IN THE COST.

SO IF WE WENT WITH PORTFOLIO 18, WHICH IS THE FULL, THAT IS THE, THE BATTERY, THE LOCAL STORAGE, THEN THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 9.4 BILLION.

BUT IF WE WENT WITH PORTFOLIO 14, THAT'S ABOUT NINE 1 BILLION.

AND PORTFOLIO 14 IS THE ONE WITH THE PEAKERS.

SO THAT WOULD SAVE US 300 MILLION IN NET COSTS BETWEEN THOSE TWO PORTFOLIO.

SO THE INTENT OF THIS SLIDE IS REALLY TO TALK ABOUT THE TRADE-OFFS THAT ARE COME WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES.

AND THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS, RIGHT? THIS IS JUST AN EXAMPLE OF NUMBERS OF QUANTITIES.

THE PLAN DOESN'T GET VERY SPECIFIC AND SAY, BUILD THIS AMOUNT IN THIS YEAR OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

THIS JUST SHOWS A RELATIVE WHEN YOU'RE KEEPING A LOT OF THINGS CONSISTENT, THIS SHOWS THAT THERE ARE TRADE OFFS BETWEEN COSTS AND EMISSIONS AND RELIABILITY RISK.

YES, ABSOLUTELY.

AND I THINK THIS IS HELPFUL IN MAKING THIS THIS DECISION BECAUSE WE'RE BEING ASKED TO SIGN OFF ON WHETHER OR NOT TO INCLUDE PEAKERS AS A TOOL.

WHAT THE IMPACT IT WOULD BE TO ADD THIS TOOL TO OUR PORTFOLIO.

IN MEETING OUR, OUR GOALS AND HAVING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE TRADE OFF WITH THIS SPECIFIC TOOL IS IMPORTANT.

SO HERE YOU'RE SAYING IF WE ADD THE PEAKERS, WE WOULD SAVE ON COSTS, BUT THE OTHER THING I WANNA DRAW OUR ATTENTION TO IS THAT SAME SCENARIO WE WOULD GO FROM A 6.2 IS THIS METRIC MILLION METRIC TONS.

THAT'S CORRECT.

TO A 6.8 MILLION METRIC TONS IN EMISSIONS.

SO IF WE'RE, IF ONE TRADE OFF IS, IT'LL BE CHEAPER IN COSTS.

ON THE FLIP SIDE, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT 0.6 MORE IN MILLION METRIC TONS OF EMISSIONS.

CAN YOU PROVIDE MORE INSIGHT AS TO WHAT THAT ENTAILS? YEAH, SO WHAT THIS, WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE IS, UM, SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, TO PUT IT INTO RELATIVE PERSPECTIVE, UM, TODAY OUR PORTFOLIO PRODUCES BETWEEN TWO AND A HALF TO 3 MILLION METRIC TONS PER YEAR.

AND SO IF WE WERE TO TAKE OUR EXISTING PORTFOLIOS AND TAKE THOSE NUMBERS AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND CONTINUE ON THE CURRENT PATH, UM, THEN YOU MULTIPLY THAT BY 10.

UM, AND SO SAY 30 MILLION METRIC TONS.

UM, AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING HERE IS THAT AS YOU MOVE FORWARD, UM, AND YOU START TO PUT IN ADDITIONAL OTHER LOCAL SOLUTIONS, YOU CAN COME OUT WITH A CLEANER OUTCOME.

AND SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A MUCH SMALLER SIX POINT.

I KNOW IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT HERE, BUT IF YOU PUT IT IN RELATIVE TO, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE STAND TODAY, UM, SIX POINT, YOU KNOW, IN THE SIX OR 7 MILLION METRIC TON RANGE IS A MUCH SMALLER QUANTITY.

AND I SHOULD ADD CONTEXT.

THE REASON WHY I'M ASKING THIS PARTICULARLY AND HONING IN ON THIS, IS THAT WE KNOW THAT ONE OF THE LOCATIONS THAT THESE PEAKERS MAY BE LOCATED IS IN SANDHILL.

SANDHILL IS IN DISTRICT TWO.

SO WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING 0.8 MILLION METRIC TONS TO AN AREA WHERE THESE PEAKERS WILL BE GENERATED, I'M SPECIFICALLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY.

I HAVE NEIGHBORHOODS WITHIN THREE MILES OF WHERE THESE PEAKER PLANTS COULD BE LOCATED.

I'M NOT, AND I KNOW YOU ALL HAVE MENTIONED YOU'VE NOT SELECTED A LOCATION, IT COULD BE AT DECKER AND DISTRICT ONE, IT COULD BE A TOTALLY DIFFERENT LOCATION, BUT JUST UNDER FULLY UNDERSTANDING AND FOR MY COLLEAGUES REFERENCE

[03:20:01]

I JUST WANNA HONE IN ON WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN WE ADD 0.8 MORE MILLION METRIC TONS WITH THESE PLANTS? YEAH.

SO WE DIDN'T MODEL A PARTICULAR LOCATION.

THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT COMES INTO PLAY IN THIS LEVEL OF THE ANALYSIS.

THIS IS NOT FROM A PARTICULAR PLANT IN ANY ONE PLACE.

THIS IS SAYING THAT THE PORTFOLIO, UM, THAT AUSTIN E YOU COULD LOOK AT IN THE FUTURE, ONE OF THE ONES THAT WAS MODELED WOULD RESULT OVER 10 YEARS IN SIX TO 7 MILLION METRIC TONS.

AND WHAT I WANNA POINT OUT THAT'S REALLY CRITICAL HERE IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE PLANT AND ITS EMISSIONS ON ITS OWN, UM, THEN YOU'RE REALLY KIND OF MISSING THE BIGGER PICTURE.

AND I THINK WE NEED, WE ALL NEED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE MORE HOLISTIC PICTURE OF WHAT THIS COULD ENABLE.

ESSENTIALLY WE ARE BEING ASKED IN THE ELECTRICITY SECTOR TO DO MORE AND MORE WITH, UH, SUPPORTING, UH, THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY WHEN IT COMES TO DATA AUTOMATION, TRANSPORTATION, MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES.

WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THINGS LIKE, UH, THE UPCOMING PROJECT CONNECT NEEDS, ALL THINGS THAT BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY AND HELP FOR A CLEANER OUTCOME.

SO WE'VE GOTTA LOOK AT IT HOLISTICALLY.

AND IF WE'RE GONNA, UM, WE BE ABLE TO RE REACH THOSE RISING ENERGY NEEDS IN ADDITION TO ADDITIONAL POPULATION GROWTH, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND, UH, TO PROVIDE THE CLEANEST ENERGY SOURCES POSSIBLE.

AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IT, IT COMES WITH A BALANCE OF LOOKING AT THINGS HOLISTICALLY.

AND IF I COULD TELL YOU THAT WE COULD MEET ALL OF THOSE NEEDS, UM, THEN, THEN I WOULD, IF I COULD TELL YOU WE COULD JUST DO IT WITH EXISTING TOOLS, WITH OUR EXISTING PLAN, WE WOULD, BUT WE, WE DON'T SEE THAT AS BEING FEASIBLE GIVEN THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US TODAY.

WE NEED TO DO MORE.

WE NEED TO DO MORE QUICKLY.

WE NEED TO DO MORE NOW.

WE, FRANKLY, WE NEEDED TO DO IT YESTERDAY.

AND I'M, I'M THERE WITH YOU ON THAT.

AND, AND, AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT WAS REFERENCED EARLIER, I AGREE WITH WHAT EVERYTHING YOU'VE LAID OUT HERE WITH THE ONE TOOL IN YOUR TOOLKIT BEING THE PEAKER PLANTS AS AN AREA OF CONCERN.

AND SO THAT'S WHY I'M REALLY HONING IN ON THIS SPECIFIC DETAIL.

AND, AND IT WAS ONE THAT YOU ALL HAVE ALSO HIGHLIGHTED FOR US IN, IN THIS PRESENTATION.

UH, AND I WANNA UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY WANT TO GET US GOING AND MEETING OUR 2035 GOAL.

WHAT IS THE URGENCY AND US HAVING THIS TOOL ACTIVATED OR PROVIDING THE AUTHORITY TO EXPLORE THIS TOOL OF ADDING PEAKER PLANTS INTO OUR PORTFOLIO? WHAT IS THE URGENCY THERE OF HAVING THAT DECISION BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR? WE, WE REALLY NEED TO TAKE ACTION.

THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS MULTIFACETED, RIGHT? AND IT'S, IT'S THE LOCAL RELIABILITY CONCERNS.

IT'S THE CONGESTION COSTS.

AND FRANKLY, IT'S THE CONTINUATION OF HAVING, UM, HIGH EMISSIONS, UH, UH, PROJECTS IN OUR PORTFOLIO THAT THEY STAND IN OUR WAY OF OUR CLEAN ENERGY GOALS.

SO WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE CAN MEET THE COMMUNITY'S NEEDS OF BALANCING AFFORDABILITY, RELIABILITY, UM, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

AND WE NEED TO DO IT IN AN EQUITABLE WAY.

THE VALUES AND THE OBJECTIVES IN THE PLAN SET THAT PATH FORWARD.

AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO TAKE ACTION BECAUSE, UM, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE GOING INTO A, A TIME OF CONTINUED AND RISING ENERGY NEEDS.

SO WE NEED TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS WE HAVE TODAY, PREPARE FOR THE FUTURE, AND DO IT IN A, IN A CLEANER WAY THAN WE'RE DOING IT TODAY.

I, I HEAR YOU ON THIS.

IT'S, I'M STRUGGLING WITH UNDERSTANDING THE PEAKER COMPONENT ON IT.

AND HOW THAT PARTICULAR, THAT PARTICULAR TOOL STRATEGY HELPS US AND HAVING THAT DECISION MADE BEFORE AND WITH ACTUALLY HAVING THIS DECISION MADE WITHIN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS.

UM, THE OTHER, AND MY CONCERNS ARE HERE, I WANNA OUTLINE MY CONCERNS FOR MY COLLEAGUES.

UM, ONE, THERE IS, UH, THE LEGISLATIVE REGULATORY RISK.

WE ARE GOING, WE'RE ABOUT TO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, NEW LEADERS AT THE FEDERAL ADMINISTRATION.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND WE DUNNO HOW THAT WOULD POTENTIALLY IMPACT HOW WE REGULATE HERE LOCALLY.

UH, SO I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THAT.

TWO, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE IMPACT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND THE SURROUNDING INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD LIVE NEXT TO WHEREVER THESE PEAKER PLANTS ARE LOCATED.

UH, AND THE THIRD COMPONENT IS THAT WE DO LOSE, UH, CONTROL BY HAVING THESE PEAKER PLANT IN OUR GENERATION PORTFOLIO.

YOU KNOW, WE MENTIONED EARLIER THAT ERCOT LAST YEAR ASKED US TO, TO GENERATE, AND WE DID.

AND THAT WAS FOR A LOCAL SUPPLY ISSUE.

UM, BUT WHAT'S TO SAY THAT, THAT, UH, AUTHORITY AND OVERSIGHT CAN EXTEND TO OTHER INSTANCES? WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE WE ARE ENTERING INTO AN UNKNOWN REGULATORY PERIOD.

AND AS YOU'VE HIGHLIGHTED, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF NEW ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND SOURCES WITH AI, WITH DATA CENTERS, UH, HAPPENING ALL ACROSS OUR STATE.

UM, SO THOSE ARE WHERE MY CONCERNS ARE WITH THIS POTENTIAL, UM, PROPOSAL.

I, I RESPECT AND WILL BE LOOKING AT THE PLAN THAT YOU ALL PROPOSE LATER THIS MONTH.

UM, BUT THE PEAKER PLAN AS A TOOL IS A CONCERN TO ME.

[03:25:01]

I, I UNDERSTAND YOUR, YOUR VIEWS.

AND I THINK IT IS, IT'S A COMPLEX PROBLEM THAT WE HAVE TO COLLECTIVELY SOLVE.

UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO ALSO THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN WE, IF WE BUILT SOMETHING, THEN WE HAVE CONTROL OVER IT.

WE GET TO SAY HOW MUCH IT RUNS.

WE GET TO PUT THE GUARDRAILS ON IT.

THERE'S A NEED THAT IS BEING SHOWN IN THE MARKET RIGHT NOW.

IF WE DON'T BUILD IT, SOMEONE ELSE WILL.

AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE CONTROLS OVER HOW THAT'S RUN AND HOW IT'S AFFECTING THE, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE COMMUNITY.

IF, IF WE DON'T TAKE ACTION NOW, THEN WE WON'T BE ABLE TO ENABLE MORE ELECTRIFICATION AND, AND, YOU KNOW, MORE ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND ELECTRIC APPLIANCES.

WE, WE WANT TO HOLISTICALLY LOOK AT HOW WE CAN MAKE THE COMMUNITY A BETTER COMMUNITY.

AND THE TOOLS THAT WE'RE ASKING TO, UM, TO ALLOW IN THE TOOLBOX, UM, REALLY HELP US LOOK AT THIS HOLISTIC SET OF VALUES AND OBJECTIVES AS, AS THE COMMUNITY HELPED US UNDERSTAND THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT TO THEM.

AND ENERGY EQUITY IS A REALLY IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THAT AS WELL.

AND IT'S BAKED INTO EVERY ASPECT OF THE PLAN.

I THINK THAT, I DON'T WANNA BE STANDING HERE BEFORE YOU, IN 2027, IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEAT WAVE SAYING, YEAH, WE, WE ARE FACING LOCAL OUTAGES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T TAKE ACTION WITH THE TOOLS AND THE TECHNOLOGIES THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO US.

I THINK THAT, UM, SOME OF THESE, THESE TECHNOLOGIES ARE MODULAR, THEY'RE SMALL, UM, THEY END UP BEING CLEANER AND YOU CAN, UH, IT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A DECISION THAT IS A SMART ONE TO MAKE NOW.

UM, AND I I THINK THAT, THAT LOOKING, TAKING A STEP BACK AND LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE REALLY HELPS TO GET US THERE.

AND AND I, YES, I, I AGREE WITH WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THE ISSUE IS, AND, AND I THINK WE'RE ALL, FOR US TAKING ACTION, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA DOUBLE DOWN ON OUR EFFORTS WITH SOLAR, WITH BATTERY STORAGE, WITH DEMAND RESPONSE MANAGEMENT, ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

BUT ONE OF THE TAKING ACTION OF THE TOOLS WOULD ADD, YOU KNOW, NATURAL GAS PLANTS, EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE SMALLER AND THEY'RE MORE FLEXIBLE AND THEY'RE DISPATCHABLE AND WE CAN PUT SAFEGUARDS AND WE CAN PUT, UM, YOU KNOW, KEY MILESTONES TO HELP, UM, CONTROL IS THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS WOULD HAVE AN IMPACT TO OUR COMMUN TO THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY WHEREVER THEY'RE LOCATED.

AND I WANNA HAVE A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

UM, AND I WANNA ALSO THINK THROUGH, IS THIS THE RIGHT APPROACH AND DO WE HAVE TO DECIDE AT THIS WITHIN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS WHEN SO MUCH IS STILL UNKNOWN? WE DON'T, WE HAD TO ASK FOR PERMISSION TO RETIRE CERTAIN GENERATIONS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S STILL THAT RISK AS WELL, UH, FOR BRINGING ON NEW NATURAL GAS PLANTS.

AND I JUST WANNA REMIND, UM, ALL OF YOU THAT, UH, A VOTE ON A PLAN IN THE NEXT THREE WEEKS DOES NOT GIVE US PERMISSION TO GO BUILD ANYTHING.

ANYTHING WE WERE TO WOULD TO BUILD, WE'D HAVE TO COME BACK TO YOU FOR APPROVAL.

SO THIS IS REALLY JUST SETTING THE POLICY, UM, OF, OF WHICH PATH WE CAN CONSIDER GOING FORWARD.

IS COUNCIL MEMBER HARPER MADISON HERE? IF NOT, I'LL COME BACK TO HER.

IS SHE ON THERE? YOU ARE.

I, YOU SEE ME? I CAN SEE YOU NOW.

MADE MENTION ABOUT CONSIDERATIONS AROUND EQUITY.

I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU ON THE DI THERE YOU ARE.

AH, THANK YOU.

I APPRECIATE IT.

YOU WELCOME.

UM, I, I JUST WANNA FIRST ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, THAT I REALLY APPRECIATE THE DIALOGUE THAT'S TAKEN PLACE SO FAR, UM, BOTH BY MY COLLEAGUES AND REPRESENTATIVES FOR AUSTIN ENERGY AND ALL THE, UM, ALL THE PUBLIC THAT CAME OUT TO EXPRESS THEIR CONCERNS AND CARE FOR OUR ENVIRONMENT AND OUR FAIR CITY.

UM, THIS IS A COMPLEX DISCUSSION.

UM, I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE ALL HAVE OUR ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY OF LIFE AT THE TOP OF MIND.

UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE LAST COMMENTARY FROM AUSTIN ENERGY CLARIFYING, EXCUSE ME, ABOUT THE LEVELS OF CONTROL WE CAN IMPLEMENT.

UM, AND, UH, MOST ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THE COMMENTARY AROUND, UM, ENERGY EQUITY.

UM, AND SO WITH THAT, I THINK MY COLLEAGUES HAVE EXPRESSED MOST OF MY CONCERNS.

I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE WHAT'S BEEN EXPRESSED, UM, AS CONCERNS AND QUESTIONS AND LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONTINUED DIALOGUE.

UM, SO I'LL JUST KEEP IT TO COMMENTARY MORE THAN QUESTIONS.

UM, I ONE, WANNA THANK A SPECIAL THANKS, BIG THANKS TO DISTRICT ONE RESIDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY LEADERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE FEEDBACK AND ENGAGEMENT AROUND THE NEXT GEN PLAN.

IT'S SUPER IMPORTANT.

AND IF, YOU KNOW, THERE WASN'T ANOTHER TOPIC, YOU KNOW, WE GET SO TIED UP IN TALKING ABOUT ZONING CASES AND SOME OF THE OTHER, WHAT FEELS PRESSING.

BUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, UM, EVERGREEN, UH, LITERALLY THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT GENERATIONS AND GENERATIONS OF IMPACT AND PERPETUITY.

SO, UM, I WANNA ALSO RECOGNIZE, I APPRECIATE THAT MY COLLEAGUES MADE MENTION AND THAT AUSTIN ENERGY MADE MENTION AND SOME OF OUR PUBLIC TESTIMONY

[03:30:01]

AND, YOU KNOW, WHERE HISTORICALLY ENERGY PRODUCTION TAKES PLACE.

YOU KNOW, WE, UH, WE DEFINITELY CAN'T IGNORE, UH, WHAT OUR HISTORIC IMPACT HAS BEEN ON COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND, UH, LOWER MODERATE MEANS.

UM, I, I THINK, UH, THE IMPACTS HAVE BEEN REDUCED WITH NEW TECHNOLOGY AND NEW DEMAND STRATEGIES, BUT THE OLD APPROACH OF PLACING POWER GENERATION IN COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LESSER MEANS IS NOT LOST ON ANYBODY PARTICIPATING IN THIS DISCUSSION.

UM, AS A CAVEAT TO THAT, I JUST WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT HOW FREQUENTLY THE QUESTION OF EQUITY AND, UM, CARE AND CONCERN FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR AND LOW OR LESSER MEANS HAS COME UP DURING THE COURSE OF THIS CONVERSATION.

'CAUSE I DO, FRANKLY FEEL LIKE OFTENTIMES IT'S FORGOTTEN.

AND, UM, THERE'S SOME CHERRYPICKING THAT GOES ON WHEN WE MAKE SURE TO HIGHLIGHT THOSE CONCERNS.

SO I HOPE WE CAN GET SOME MORE CONSISTENCY ACROSS THE BOARD WITH POLICYMAKING AND WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM OUR COMMUNITIES.

UM, OUR EXPERT STAFF AND RESEARCHERS, THEY'VE ALREADY REFERENCED TO US THE EXISTING POWER LINE INFRASTRUCTURE, THE LOCATION OF OTHER GENERATING ASSETS, AND HOW THAT'LL LIKELY, UM, DIRECT WHERE ANY GENERATION WILL GO.

AND THIS IS SIGNIFICANT FOR COMMUNITIES LIKE MINE IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN THAT FRANKLY STILL SIT IN THE SHADOW OF THE DECKER POWER PLANT.

I WANNA MAKE SURE TO HIGHLIGHT ALSO AUSTIN ENERGY MADE MENTION OF, UH, SHORTAGES AND HOW THAT, HOW THOSE IMPACTS ARE IMPLICATED DURING EXTREME, UM, HEAT INCLEMENT CONCERNS AND HOW THAT AFFECTS, UM, PEOPLE OF LOWER, LESSER MEANS YOUNG FOLKS, OLD FOLKS, UM, IN NORTHEAST AUSTIN.

UM, AND, UH, AND RECOGNIZE THAT THE ABILITY TO GENERATE ENOUGH POWER HAS DIRECT IMPACTS ON SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING VERY HARD ON AND HAVE BEEN FOR THE LAST SIX YEARS.

AND WE WERE ABLE TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING THAT HADN'T BEEN ACHIEVED BEFORE.

WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, THE DISTRICT ONE TEAM AND OUR PARTNERS OF RED TRAVIS COUNTY, WE'VE BEEN WORKING CLOSELY WITH THEM FOR GOING ON TWO YEARS TO BE ABLE TO ESTABLISH THIS INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE TWO ENTITIES.

AND, YOU KNOW, WITH THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING WITH OUR FRIENDS OF RED TRAVIS COUNTY, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO ESTABLISH THE NORTHEAST PLANNING DISTRICT, WHICH WILL BE A PLAYBOOK THAT, YOU KNOW, LIKE OUR CONCERNS AROUND THE ENVIRONMENT EXIST IN PERPETUITY.

AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S NOT LOST ON DISTRICTS TWO AND ONE THAT OUR COMMUNITIES ARE OUR, THE MOST RIPE FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MORE ROOFS AND MORE PEOPLE AND MORE NEED FOR ENERGY.

SO I APPRECIATE THE USE OF THE WORD HOLISTIC, AND I ALSO APPRECIATE THE USE OF, UM, SORT OF STRONG LANGUAGE, UM, IN RECOGNIZING THAT THOSE TWO THINGS CAN BOTH BE TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.

UM, I THINK THE NORTHEAST PLANNING DISTRICT, FOR FOLKS WHO AREN'T FAMILIAR, UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REACH OUT TO TEAM D ONE.

WE'RE HAPPY TO ELABORATE.

THERE'S LOTS OF INFORMATION ONLINE, UM, ABOUT THE NORTHEAST PLANNING DISTRICT.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARILY IMPORTANT FOR THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF TRUE EAST AUSTIN, EAST OF 180 3.

UM, IT'S A TOOL THAT'S INTENDED FOR OUR LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS, JUST LIKE THIS ONE THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING TODAY.

AND I'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE TO SEE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF REALLY COMMIT THEMSELVES TO THIS COLLABORATIVE APPROACH AND IDENTIFY WAYS THAT THEIR NEXT GEN PLANNING ALIGNS WITH THOSE SHARED EFFORTS AS WELL.

BECAUSE IT IS CRITICAL AND IMPORTANT.

UM, I, UM, I, I THINK IT'S JUST AS IMPORTANT, UM, TO RECOGNIZE HOW THESE CONSIDERATIONS WILL INCREASE OUR INVESTMENTS IN DEMAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES LIKE GEOTHERMAL, UM, COOLING SYSTEMS THAT FRANKLY, ARE ALREADY IN PLACE IN WHISPER VALLEY.

I, I, AS A LAY PERSON TO DISCUSSIONS AROUND ENERGY PRODUCTION.

UM, THOUGHT I WAS ASKING A WILD AND CRAZY QUESTION WHEN I BROUGHT UP, UM, BEFORE MY COLLEAGUES AND AT THE DAY QUESTIONS LAST YEAR AROUND GEOTHERMAL COOLING.

AND I'M JUST SO HAPPY TO SEE PILOT PROGRAMS COMING FORWARD.

I, I, I'LL GIVE MY TEAM A LITTLE BIT OF CREDIT, BOTH AS THE RESULT OF US BRINGING FORWARD THE QUESTIONS AND FRANKLY, AS THE RESULT OF, UM, THE FOLKS AT AUSTIN ENERGY ALREADY HAVEN'T BEEN DIVING INTO INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES.

AND, YOU KNOW, WHISPER VALLEY IS JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM THE DECKER POWER PLANT, AND THEY ARE EXPERIENCING A GREAT DEAL OF SUCCESS WITH THEIR GEOTHERMAL ENERGY PRODUCTION, UM, IN THE COMMUNITIES.

AND AS THOSE COMMUNITIES EXPAND, AND AS WE'RE HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK DIRECTLY WITH HABITAT FOR HUMANITY FOR THOSE EXPANSIONS, AND PUTTING REAL EMPHASIS ON TRUE AFFORDABILITY, UM, THAT COMES ADJACENT WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

[03:35:01]

AND CONSIDERATIONS, I THINK IT'S SORT OF THE FIRST OF ITS KIND US MOVING FORWARD WITH BOTH OF THOSE THINGS BEING TRUE AT THE SAME TIME.

UM, I WANNA MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF TO COME BACK WITH US ON RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW THE UTILITY WILL PAIR ANY NEW POWER GENERATION CONSTRUCTION WITH SERIOUS AND PROFOUND INVESTMENTS IN THE COMMUNITIES WHERE THEY'LL EXIST.

AND FRANKLY, ADJACENT TO OTHER, UM, DEVELOPMENT AND, UM, REVITALIZATION CONSIDERATIONS.

IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO NOT BE DUPLICATIVE HERE.

SO I HOPE THAT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A REAL INTEGRATED PROCESS WHERE ALL PARTIES ARE AT THE TABLE.

UM, I WILL ARGUE THAT IF WE ARE GOING TO BUILD NEW POWER GENERATION IN COMMUNITIES LIKE D ONE AND LIKE D TWO, UM, COMMUNITIES, FRANKLY WITH A HISTORY OF RECEIVING THE POLLUTION AND, AND INDUSTRY, UH, THAT OTHER PARTS OF AUSTIN HISTORICALLY REFUSE TO ACCEPT, THEN WE NEED TO DO SO.

WE NEED TO DO MORE, RATHER TO, UM, TO OFFSET THOSE IMPACTS, INCLUDING WITH COMMUNITY BENEFITS MITIGATION AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE, TRUE INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS TO COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE BEEN SUFFERING WITH BENIGN NEGLECT AND DISREPAIR AND FRANKLY BEEN IGNORED HISTORICALLY.

UM, ESPECIALLY AS WE MOVE TOWARDS THOSE COMMUNITIES DEVELOPING, WE NEED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WE MAKE OUR IMPACT FELT ON CURRENT RESIDENTS, AND THAT WE DON'T, THAT WE DON'T GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF ONLY MAKING INVESTMENTS FOR FUTURE RESIDENTS.

'CAUSE THAT WOULD JUST FRANKLY BE A SLAP IN THE FACE.

I HOPE THAT WE IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY THERE TODAY, AND THAT WILL COME TOMORROW.

UM, I WILL NOT ARGUE THAT OUR RESILIENCY AND AFFORDABILITY REQUIREMENTS DO NOT DEMAND NEW GENERATION.

UM, BUT I WILL ALSO SAY, FRANKLY, THAT THE MAT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF.

SO I LEAVE US WITH, YOU KNOW, I'LL LEAVE MY COMMENTARY RATHER WITH A QUESTION FOR STAFF, WHICH IS, CAN YOU PLEASE SPEAK TO SOME OF THESE POINTS THAT I'VE MADE TODAY, UM, AS YOU SEE APPROPRIATE, AND SHARE HOW YOU WOULD PLAN, HOW YOU ALL PLAN TO ADDRESS THEM.

AND, UM, VERY EXPLICITLY COLLABORATE WITHIN THE NORTHEAST PLANNING DISTRICT CONSIDERATIONS.

WE CONTINUE TO BE THAT LEADER AND WE DON'T PLAN ON STEPPING BACK FROM THAT ONE WAY.

UH, COUNCIL MEMBER, THANK YOU.

UH, YOU STARTED TALKING AT LENGTH ABOUT, UM, ENERGY EQUITY, AND THEN I APPRECIATE YOUR, UM, VIEW BECAUSE YOU RAISED UP A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT, THAT, UH, OUR DECISIONS, UH, IMPACT THE EQUITY AND THE MOST, UH, VULNERABLE OF OUR POPULATIONS.

IT'S, IT'S NOT, SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST TALK ABOUT RELATED TO WHAT THE BILLS THEY HAVE TO PAY SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES TALK, PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHERE SOMEONE LIVES IN RELATION TO A POLLUTING SOURCE.

UM, REALLY IT'S, IT'S ALSO ABOUT WHO'S MOST IMPACTED WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT.

AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S THAT HOLISTIC VIEW HAS TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION EVERY STEP ALONG THE WAY.

UM, AND THROUGH THE VALUES AND OBJECTIVES THAT ARE THE FOUNDATION OF THIS PLAN, UM, WE, WE, WE HAVE THAT IN THERE.

UM, IT'S OUR GUIDING LIGHT, AND WE HEARD THAT FROM THE COMMUNITY TIME AND AGAIN, UM, AN EQUITABLE APPROACH.

I, I'VE MENTIONED BEFORE, THERE'S, THERE'S NO, THIS IS NOT THE TIME OR THE PLACE WHERE YOU WOULD DECIDE WHERE SOMETHING WOULD BE CITED, BUT AN EQUITABLE APPROACH WOULD TAKE A REALLY HARD LOOK ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY, OUR ENTIRE SERVICE TERRITORY, ACTUALLY, TO FIGURE OUT IS THERE THE RIGHT PLACE TO PUT THIS? AND WHAT ARE THE TRADE-OFFS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL OF THOSE THINGS? UM, AND NO MATTER WHERE IT'S LOCATED, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE A GOOD NEIGHBOR TO WHOMEVER WE'RE AT.

SO WHETHER IT'S NEW, UH, GENERATION OR EVEN OUR EXISTING GENERATION, WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS IT THAT THAT THAT IS, YOU KNOW, CONCERNS THEM, WHAT CAN WE DO TOGETHER TO OFFER, UH, YOU KNOW, A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE FOR, FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN THAT, THAT SENSE? UM, AND SO I THINK, UH, ALL OF THOSE CONSIDERATIONS ARE, ARE KEY, UH, TO TAKING A RESPONSIBLE STEP FORWARD.

I THINK WE ALL ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PROBLEM BEFORE US IS NOW, UM, IT'S MULTIFACETED AUSTIN ENERGY.

IT'S OUR MISSION TO, TO PROVIDE THE, THE RESPONSE TO PROVIDING CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, AND RELIABLE ENERGY IN GROWING ENERGY MARKET, UH, OR GROWING ENERGY ENVIRONMENT.

AND, UH, WE'VE DONE A VERY THOROUGH REVIEW HERE.

WE'VE TRIED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH, UH, A VERY MULTIFACETED, FLEXIBLE, RESPONSIBLE PLAN THAT WILL HELP LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE.

AND, UM, WE, WE'VE BUILT IT BASED OFF OF LISTENING TO WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS TO SAY, LISTENING TO ALL OF YOU AND YOUR STAFF, UM, OUR COMMISSION, UH, AND THEN OF COURSE THE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF COLLABORATIVELY WORKING TOGETHER, UM, CITY OF AUSTIN AND AUSTIN ENERGY HAS LONG BEEN A LEADER, UM, IN A NUMBER OF SPACES.

UH, CUSTOMER SOLUTIONS, DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT, UH, IN THE ENVIRONMENT, OUR, OUR GOALS,

[03:40:01]

I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I'LL LEAVE YOU WITH THIS, YOU KNOW, UH, I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY HARD NUMBERS AND IT KIND OF JUST OCCURRED TO ME, SO MY STAFF WILL, UM, WILL RUN DOWN SOME NUMBERS AS WELL.

BUT I THINK IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UM, FOR, UH, JUST FOR THE FRAME OF REFERENCE, FOR CONTEXT FOR US ALL TO RECOGNIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INCLEMENT WEATHER RELATED HEALTH AND WELLNESS, UM, EFFECTS.

SO I, MY OBSERVATION EVEN AS A LAY PERSON IS THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING TO OUR CONSTITUENTS, THEY'RE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE IMPACTED BY EXTREME HEAT THAN THEY ARE EXTREME COLD.

SO I KNOW WE KEEP MAKING MENTION OF WINTER STORMS, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE'S 19 FAN DRIVES ALL OVER DISTRICT ONE.

UM, AS WE APPROACH SUMMER MONTHS AND, YOU KNOW, THE EFFECTS ON PEOPLE'S MEDICATION REGIMENS ON ASTHMA HEALTH AND WELLNESS IN GENERAL, MOST ESPECIALLY FOR THE ELDERLY AND INFANTS, UM, NEWBORNS.

LIKE I, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HARD NUMBERS ON HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE ARE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY HEAT RELATED INCLEMENT WEATHER.

WE, WE SEEM, UH, SEEM TO, UM, SINGULARLY FOCUS ON COLD WEATHER RELATED CONCERNS.

AND, UM, I, YOU KNOW, FOLKS WHO CAN BLESS THAT AC AT 76 OR BELOW ARE, YOU KNOW, LIVING THE HIGH LIFE.

IT'S FRANKLY A PRIVILEGE.

AND I GOT A LOT OF FOLKS WITH WINDOW UNITS OR NO HVAC SYSTEM AT ALL, AND THEY'RE LITERALLY DYING WHEN IT'S HOT.

AND SO I, I'D LOVE TO SEE WHAT SOME OF THOSE HARD NUMBERS LOOK LIKE AND GET SOME DATA AROUND STATISTICALLY WHAT'S THE COMPARATIVE IMPACT, UM, IF THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN INCLUDE IN FUTURE DISCUSSIONS.

I THINK WE NEED TO PREPARE FOR, UH, INCLEMENT WEATHER OF ALL DIFFERENT TYPES.

UM, IT CERTAINLY IMPACT.

YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

AND, AND, AND YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT TO CALL OUT THE HOT WEATHER.

UM, OFTEN THE COLD WEATHER GETS, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SPOTLIGHT BECAUSE OF THE WINTER STORMS THAT WE'VE HAD.

BUT, BUT THE SUMMER HEAT IS, IS, IS CERTAINLY NO JOKE.

AND IT IMPACTS OUR COMMUNITY AND IT IMPACTS OUR ELECTRIC GRID.

AND, UH, WE REALLY NEED, YOU KNOW, ALL THE SOLUTIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET THERE.

I DO WANNA, UM, SUGGEST JUST AS YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT AND LOOKING AT EQUITY AND ENERGY EQUITY AS A, YOU KNOW, AS A WHOLE, UM, WE TOOK A LOT OF TIME WORKING THROUGH AND LOOKING THROUGH THE TEXAS ENERGY POVERTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE TERI'S, UM, SURVEY THAT THEY DID ACROSS THE STATE OF TEXAS AND FOCUSING IN ON, UM, ONE OF THE DISTRICTS THAT, UH, REFLECTS OR REPRESENTS OUR, OUR AREA.

UM, AND WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW, UH, ENERGY EQUITY IMPACTS LOTS OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS IN A NUMBER OF WAYS.

ME.

I WAS TAKING A NOTE ON THAT.

YOU SAID TEXAS ENERGY POLICY, POVERTY, POVERTY RESEARCH INSTITUTE.

WE'LL SEND YOU A A, WE'LL SEND YOU ALL A LINK.

I APPRECIATE IT.

, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

COUNCIL MEMBER, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, YOU WERE NEXT, BUT YOU HAD ASKED A QUESTION AND, AND COUNCIL MEMBER VELA HAS IT AND HE'S GOT SOMETHING AND THEN WE CAN CLOSE WITH YOU.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

BLACKSTAR.

COULD, COULD YOU, UH, I KNOW I'VE HEARD THAT, YOU KNOW, TERM, UH, THROWN AROUND A LITTLE BIT.

I HAVE KIND OF A VAGUE SENSE OF, OF, OF WHAT IT IS, BUT COULD YOU TALK ABOUT THAT, UH, UH, A LITTLE BIT? WHAT, WHAT IS BLACKSTAR? YEAH.

SO BLACKSTAR CAPABILITY IS THE ABILITY FOR A GENERATOR TO START UP WITHOUT, UM, THE SUPPORT OF THE EXTERNAL GRID.

AND SO THAT'S NOT NORMALLY WHAT IS NECESSARY IN DAY TO DAY, RIGHT? OUR POWER GRID WORKS, BUT IN THE EXTREME SITUATION, WHICH WE ALL HAVE TO PREPARE FOR, UM, IS AN ENTIRE ERCOT BLACKOUT EMERGENCY.

SO THE ENTIRE STATE IS DOWN.

UM, UH, ERCOT AND TRANSMISSION OWNERS AND GENERATOR OWNERS LIKE AUSTIN ENERGY HAVE A COLLECTIVE PLAN TO RESTORE POWER TO THE STATE.

AND SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT BLACKSTAR, I TALK ABOUT WHAT TYPES OF UNITS HAVE BLACKSTAR CAPABILITY AND ARE ALLOWED TO DO THAT IN THE ERCOT MARKET.

AND RIGHT NOW IT'S, UH, UNITS, UH, THAT, THAT HAVE, UH, FOSSIL FUEL OR NOT NATURAL GAS UNITS LIKE PEAKERS, UM, BUT ALSO HYDROELECTRIC, WHICH WE DON'T HAVE ANY OF THAT.

UM, OR THAT OPPORTUNITY HERE.

AND SO, UH, THOSE ARE THE, BASICALLY THE LIFELINES THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO BE PART OF A SOLUTION IF WE EXPERIENCE THE BLACKOUT EMERGENCY.

IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC.

TALK ABOUT, AND THE COMBINED CYCLE UNITS THAT WE HAVE, ARE THOSE BLACKSTAR? NO.

UM, OUR DECKER PEAKERS ARE BLACKSTAR CAPABLE RIGHT NOW, BUT THOSE ARE THE OLDEST UNITS IN OUR FLEET.

BATTERIES, UH, CAN BATTERIES BE PART OF, UH, BLACKSTAR CAPABILITY? UH, TODAY IN THE ERCOT MARKET, BLACK, UH, BATTERIES ARE NOT, UH, A VIABLE RESOURCE FOR BLACKSTAR.

HOW MANY PEAKERS? UH, AND, AND ACTUALLY LET ME BEFORE I GO DOWN THE PEAKER, UH, QUESTION ROUTE.

UH, ARE

[03:45:01]

UM, THE TECHNOLOGY CONCEPT IS THERE, UM, WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS YOU HAVE TO BUILD IT SPECIALLY, UM, BUT IT'S NOT PART OF, OF , I THINK IT HAS TO DO WITH DURATION.

AND, AND SO IN THE EVENT OF A, OF A, A DISASTER AGAIN, WHICH I THINK WE AVOIDED BY MINUTES, BY MINUTES, UH, IN, IN, IN 21, SO IT'S NOT AN ACADEMIC, UH, DISCUSSION.

UH, THERE WOULD BE ESSENTIALLY A SERIES OF PEAKERS AROUND THE STATE THAT WOULD ALL KIND OF COORDINATE, TURN ON AND KIND OF JUMPSTART THE GRID.

AGAIN, I'M SURE I'M MISSING UP A LOT OF TECHNICAL, UH, DISCUSSION THERE.

BUT IS, IS THAT ESSENTIALLY WHAT'S GONNA, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? YEAH, THERE'S A SERIES OF, OF GENERATORS AROUND THE STATE THAT ARE DESIGNATED AS BLACK STAR.

THEY HAVE THE BLACK STAR CAPABILITY, AND YES, THEY WOULD JUMPSTART THE STATE AND WE COULD JUMPSTART OUR RESTORATION HERE IN AUSTIN IF WE HAD THAT, IF WE HAD BLACKSTAR CAPABLE UNITS.

HOW MANY PEAKERS DO WE CURRENTLY HAVE? WE CURRENTLY HAVE FOUR AT DECKER AND SIX AT SANDHILL, FOUR AT DECKER.

AND WHAT IS THE MEGAWATT CAPACITY FOR, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT COMBINED KIND OF PEAKER? SO WE HAVE 10 TOTAL PEAKERS.

EACH ONE'S ABOUT 50 MEGAWATTS, EACH ONE'S ABOUT 50 MEGAWATTS.

UH, AND RANGING IN AGE, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, I DON'T NEED TO KNOW THE EXACT YEARS, BUT FROM KIND OF WHEN TO, WHEN THE OLDEST ONES ARE FROM THE 1980S, FOUR OF THEM, THEN ANOTHER FOUR ARE FROM THE EARLY TWO THOUSANDS.

AND THEN THE LAST TWO WERE, UM, WE BOUGHT FROM ANOTHER UTILITY, AND WE INSTALLED AND COMPLETED 2010, I BELIEVE.

AND THE, AGAIN, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT THE NEWER ONES BEING MORE EFFICIENT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MORE EFFICIENT IN THEIR USE OF FUEL, LESS POLLUTING THUS IN THEIR EMISSIONS THAN THE OLDER ONES.

IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.

UM, WOULD NEW PEAKERS, AGAIN, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THEORETICALLY, BUT WOULD NEW PEAKERS REPLACE SOME OF THE OLDER PEAKERS, OR WOULD THIS BE AN ADDITION TO THE, UH, 10 THAT WE ALREADY HAVE? SO IN TIME I HOPE THEY WOULD REPLACE IT, BUT IN THE BA RIGHT NOW, WE'RE OPERATING AT A DEFICIT.

AND SO IF YOU THINK ON A NORMAL DAY, UH, ANY NEW PEAKERS WHICH WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT AND LESS EMITTING, THEY WOULD REPLACE, RIGHT? WE WOULDN'T HAVE TO RUN OUR OLDER 1980S TECHNOLOGY.

UM, AND, UH, SO WE WOULD RUN THE NEWER ONES, A CLEANER OUTCOME.

AND THEN, UM, AND THEN THE ONLY TIME WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDITIONAL IS WHEN YOU'RE THE, THE HIGHEST NEED WHERE RIGHT NOW WE HA WE EXPERIENCE EXTREME RELIABILITY, RISK AND COST.

INSTEAD, WE WOULD BE HAVING THE, THE, ALL THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO OFFSET THAT RELIABILITY RISK AND REMOVE THAT COST.

SO AGAIN, ASSUMING IN ADDITION OF PEAKERS TO THE, THE, THE FLEET, BASICALLY THE NEWER ONES WOULD BE MORE USED THAN THE OLDER ONES, AND THE OLDER ONES WOULD BE THERE ONLY IN THE EVENT OF AN, YOU KNOW, EXTREME DEMAND ESSENTIALLY? THAT'S CORRECT.

AND WE SAW THAT RESULT IN OUR MODELING.

HOW LONG CAN A PEAKER RUN? HOW LONG CAN IT RUN? MM-HMM, , AS LONG AS IT HAS NATURAL GAS COMING TO IT, IT CAN RUN.

AND THE NATURAL GAS.

WHAT IS THE, UM, SITUATION WITH OUR NATURAL GAS SUPPLY TO THE PEAKERS THAT WE HAVE AT SANDHILL AND DECO RIGHT NOW? SO, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY, UH, HA USES FIRM, UH, SUPPLY CONTRACTS TO MAKE SURE THAT, UM, THAT SUPPLY IS AVAILABLE WHEN WE NEED IT.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN THAT? WHAT IS A FIRM SUPPLY CONTRACT? YEAH.

IT ESSENTIALLY MEANS THAT THERE, THERE'S KIND OF AN ORDER OF PRIORITY PEOPLE, ESSENTIALLY, YOU PAY A LITTLE BIT OF A PREMIUM TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S, IT'S MORE GUARANTEED TO BE THERE.

THIS WAS REALLY, I MEAN, ON A NORMAL DAY, IT'S NOT THAT BIG OF A DEAL, BUT, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE IN EXTREME SITUATIONS WHEN THERE IS A SHORTAGE.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, DURING WINTER STORM URI, WHEN YOU HEARD ABOUT CONCERNS ABOUT, UM, SUPPLY, WE DIDN'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, NATURAL GAS SUPPLY.

UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM BECAUSE WE HAD FIRM CONTRACTS, WHICH MEANS THAT WHEN, WHEN THE GAS COMPANIES HAVE TO DETERMINE TO HOW THEY'RE GONNA STOP, YOU KNOW, SCARCE RESOURCES, THEY, THEY START WITH THE INTERRUPTIBLE FIRST.

AND SO FIRM IS, IS MORE OF A, YOU KNOW, A GUARANTEE OF, OF RELIABILITY AND THE GAS, THE NATURAL GAS IS SUPPLIED VIA PIPELINE.

IT IS.

AND WE, AND WE HAVE MULTIPLE SUPPLIERS TO OUR PLANTS FOR ADDED DIVERSITY.

UM, IT ALSO HELPS US KEEP THE COST DOWN BECAUSE NOW THERE'S COMPETITION.

NOW TYPICALLY THOUGH, OUR PEAKERS, HOW LONG WOULD, ARE WE IN PRACTICE RIGHT NOW RUNNING A PEAKER? AGAIN, I I MY UNDERSTANDING IS ABOUT WHAT, 12%, 15% OF THE, UH, OF THE TIME, RIGHT?

[03:50:01]

THAT'S, THAT'S RIGHT.

A A PEAKER FUNDAMENTALLY TYPICALLY SHOULD BE RUNNING 10, 12% OF THE TIME FOR JUST RELATIVE, UM, A AWARE, YOU KNOW, QUICK MATH OR WHATEVER.

IT'S LESS THAN THREE HOURS A DAY, BUT OF COURSE IT'S MORE DURING CERTAIN TIMES OF THE YEAR WHEN NEEDS ARE HIGHER.

BUT ON RELATIVE ABOUT SIX WEEKS OUT OF THE YEAR IS WHAT I THINK I DID THE MATH.

UM, AND, AND RIGHT NOW ARE YOU ASKING HOW OUR, OUR UNITS ARE RUNNING? YEAH.

AND, AND ALSO I GUESS MY, MY, MY QUESTION WOULD BE, UM, HOW LONG COULD THEY RUN? UH, I MEAN, AGAIN, I KNOW IT'S AN ENGINE, AS LONG AS IT'S GOT FUEL, IT'LL RUN, BUT THERE HAS TO BE KIND OF AN UPPER LIMIT THAT THESE DON'T SEEM TO BE, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE FAY COAL PLANT OR, YOU KNOW, THE COMBINED CYCLE GAS PLANTS WHERE THEY'RE THE BASE LOAD, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE, THEY'RE KIND OF DESIGNED TO RUN 24 7 ALL THE TIME.

IF YOU RAN A PEAKER 24 7 FOR, YOU KNOW, 30 DAYS, 60 DAYS, I, I MEAN, IS IT, WELL, YEAH.

SO THAT, THAT TYPE OF WEAR AND TEAR, THEY'RE JUST NOT MADE FOR THAT.

RIGHT? THINK ABOUT, AGAIN, THEY'RE LIKE JET ENGINES, SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKE A FLIGHT AND GO, AS YOU KNOW, FOR, FOR ENDLESS AND ENDLESS, RIGHT? THEY'RE, THEY'RE INTENDED TO BE HIGHLY, HIGHLY FLEXIBLE.

SO YOU START 'EM UP AND SHUT 'EM DOWN, UM, WHENEVER YOU NEED TO.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE MEAN WHEN WE SAY THEY'RE HIGHLY DISPATCHABLE TYPE UNITS.

, UM, WHAT I, WHAT I MEANT WHEN I WAS TALKING ABOUT THE, UM, FUEL SUPPLY IS THAT THEY'RE JUST, THEY'RE THERE TO PROVIDE, UM, THROUGH THE LONG DURATION EVENTS THAT YOU MIGHT, YOU MIGHT NOT OTHERWISE BE ABLE TO CONTROL OR MITIGATE IF YOU ONLY RELIED ON SHORTER DURATION BATTERIES OR HOPED, YOU KNOW, WEATHER DEPENDENT SUPPLY.

AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SHORTER DURATION BATTERIES, WHAT KIND OF DURATIONS ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? TWO HOUR AND FOUR HOUR BATTERIES.

NOW, WHAT'S THE MAXIMUM FOR LIKE, LET'S SAY A, A, A LONG, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S THE MOST BATTERY DURATION THAT THAT AUSTIN ENERGY COULD PURCHASE RIGHT NOW? I MEAN, IT FOUR HOURS IS WHAT YOU'RE SEEING IN THE ERCO MARKET.

UM, OR TWO HOURS.

OUR BATTERIES RIGHT NOW ARE TWO HOURS.

SOMETIMES YOU'LL SEE ONE HOUR, TWO HOUR, THREE HOUR AND FOUR HOUR.

THAT'S REALLY THE REALM OF WHERE WE ARE.

UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MATTER OF FOOTPRINT.

THE, YOU KNOW, THE MORE YOU, YOU JUST HAVE TO BUILD MULTIPLE FOUR HOUR BATTERY.

, YOU KNOW, FOR, TO, TO, TO GET LONGER DURATION AND HOPE YOU DON'T NEED 'EM ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

AND IF WE DO EXHAUST OUR BATTERIES, ONCE WE DRAIN THEM, HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO RECHARGE THOSE SAME BATTERIES? SO IT WOULD TAKE THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME TO RECHARGE THEM.

SO FOUR HOURS USAGE IS FOUR HOURS CHARGING.

THEY'RE NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT EFFICIENT.

UM, BUT, UH, IT'S, IT'S FOUR HOURS AND A LITTLE BIT MORE.

UM, TURNING TO THE, THE, THE, THE CURRENT DEMAND, UH, RESPONSE GOALS, UH, AND, AND, AND AGAIN, I I, I APPRECIATE, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALTER'S LINE OF QUESTIONING AROUND THE, THE DEMAND RESPONSE.

AND AGAIN, IT MAKES A WORLD OF SENSE IN TERMS OF TRYING TO MAXIMIZE DEMAND RESPONSE, YOU KNOW, WHENEVER YOU CAN.

UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN, IN HOW MUCH CAN WE, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT PEAK DEMAND, AND, AND AGAIN, PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER.

I'M NOT A A A, AN ELECTRICITY PROFESSIONAL, UH, BY ANY MEANS.

UM, 3000 MEGAWATT, UH, UH, PEAK DAYS DEMAND IN AUSTIN.

IS THAT, UH, ABOUT CORRECT.

WE HIT A PEAK OF 31 35 MEGAWATTS LAST YEAR.

THAT'S A, YOUR TOP TIER SUMMER DAY IS GONNA BE AROUND A 3000 MEGAWATT.

YOU KNOW, A A ASSUMING THAT WE HAD REALLY ROBUST, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE CAPABILITY WHERE WE'RE REALLY JUST KIND OF GETTING EVERY SINGLE AIR CONDITIONER PROGRAM TO, YOU KNOW, CYCLE OFF FOR FIVE MINUTES.

SO I MEAN, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? HOW MUCH COULD WE CLIP OFF OF THE CITY'S DEMAND IF WE GOT EVERYBODY ON THE SAME PAGE, ALL THE OFFICE BUILDINGS, ALL THE, YOU KNOW, ALL THE RESIDENCES.

IS THERE ANY KIND OF SENSE, THEORETICALLY OF WHAT THAT NUMBER COULD BE? UM, TODAY, UH, WITH OUR DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAMS, WHICH, WHICH ARE ROBUST, RIGHT? THERE'S A LOT INSTALLED.

BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY HIT THE BUTTON TO, TO SAY WHAT CAN BE OPERATIONALLY REALIZED, WE CAN REDUCE OUR DEMAND BY ABOUT 40 MEGAWATTS.

AND IN THE, UM, POTENTIAL STUDY, I THINK THAT NUMBER, I'M, I'M LOOKING, I THINK IT WAS AROUND 270.

IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.

200 MEGAWATTS OVER THE 10 YEARS UHHUH OVER THE 10 YEARS.

NOT THAT IT COULD, YOU CAN JUST SAY, OH, I NEED THAT TOMORROW.

BUT A AGAIN, ASSUMING A AND EVEN MORE ROBUST, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE PROGRAM, AT SOME POINT WE COULD GET TO THE, YOU KNOW, HUNDREDS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE MULTIPLE HUNDREDS OF MEGAWATTS, UH, AS PART OF OUR DEMAND RESPONSE CAPABILITY.

HUH? UH, YEAH.

WE ARE, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS ABOUT 270, UM, LOOKING AT OUR STANDARD SOLAR OFFER, UH, WHAT, AGAIN, LET'S, FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUMENT, ASSUME THAT IT'S GREAT AND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY ARE ABLE TO ROLL IT OUT AND IT'S TAKEN UP

[03:55:01]

ON A WIDESPREAD BASIS.

AND BASICALLY EVERY BIG BOX STORE IN AUSTIN HAS A BUNCH OF, UH, SOLAR PANELS, UH, ON TOP OF IT.

WHAT KIND OF SOLAR, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, MEGAWATT GENERATION CAPACITY, AGAIN, IN A, IN A VERY SUCCESSFUL SCENARIO, ARE WE LOOKING AT IN TERMS OF THE STANDARD SOLAR PROGRAM, THE ASSESSMENT, UM, THAT INCLUDED THE STANDARD SOLAR OFFER SCENARIO RESULTED IN, UH, 35 ADDITIONAL MEGAWATTS.

BY 2035.

AND WHAT ARE, AGAIN, WE HAD THAT 3000 MEGAWATT DAY, 3,100.

UH, LOOKING TOWARD THE FUTURE, WHAT ARE WE ANTICIPATING IN A DECADE, LET'S SAY, WHAT WOULD OUR KIND OF A PEAK DEMAND, YOU KNOW, OUR 110 DEGREE KIND OF SUMMER DAY, WHAT IS OUR, OUR ANTICIPATED KIND OF PEAK MEGAWATT USAGE IN AUSTIN? IT, IT'S REALLY GONNA DEPEND ON ELECTRICITY GROWTH.

UH, WHEN DR. WEBER DID SOME ANALYSIS, HE HAD SOME, AND, AND ALSO HOW WE MANAGE THE DEMAND.

SOME HE HAS DOUBLING TO IN THE 7,000 RANGE.

UM, BUT REALLY WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT HIGH LOAD GROWTH, WE'RE THINKING IT COULD BE ABOUT IN, IN THE 4,000 4 4500 RANGE.

AND I REMEMBER, AND I'M GLAD YOU MENTIONED, UH, UH, UH, MICHAEL WEBER, UH, BECAUSE ONE OF HIS COMMENTS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT STUCK WITH ME WAS HE KIND OF WENT AWAY FROM THE USE OF THE TERM CARBON FREE AND, AND STARTED TALKING ABOUT CARBON NEUTRAL AS A GOAL AS OPPOSED TO CARBON FREE.

'CAUSE HE WAS SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GET DOWN TO A 90% CARBON FREE KIND OF UNIVERSE, RIGHT, IN TERMS OF OUR GENERATION CAPACITY.

BUT HE WAS LIKE, THAT LAST 5% OR SO IS A VERY EXPENSIVE, UH, IN TERMS OF THE, THE, THE COST THAT WE WOULD INCUR.

AND, AND B, UM, HAS, UH, UH, YOU KNOW, A RELIABILITY, UH, UH, EFFECTS, UH, A A AS WELL.

UM, AND RIGHT NOW, WHAT IS OUR PERCENTAGE IN TERMS OF, UH, RENEWABLE ENERGY, UH, PERCENTAGE? UH, WELL, CARBON FREE ENERGY.

CARBON FREE.

IT COULD BE A FIVE TO SIX YEAR LEAD TIME.

, INCLUDING THE NUCLEAR PLANT ENERGY GENERATED RIGHT, IS, UH, 75%.

SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE ABOUT 75% CARBON FREE ENERGY.

HOW MUCH OF THAT IS A NUCLEAR PLANT? OH, 22.

22%.

ALRIGHT.

UM, AND SO WE'VE GOT ABOUT 25% OF OUR, UH, AND AND HOW MUCH OF THAT IS, IS, AND AGAIN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE PEAKERS, UH, BUT I THINK THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM IS, IS FAYETTE.

UH, HOW MUCH OF THAT CARBON POWER IS FAYETTE? UH, IT'S, IT'S A LARGE MAJORITY.

I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY NUMBERS AS HIGH AS 85%, UH, IN TERMS OF CARBON EMISSIONS.

THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW.

SO ASSUMING, AGAIN, COMPARING THE PEAKERS TO FAYETTE, UH, WHAT DOES THAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF, AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT, LET'S SAY A YEAR OF CARBON EMISSIONS FROM FAYETTE VERSUS A YEAR OF CARBON EMISSIONS FROM AN ARRAY OF PEAKERS.

WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DOES, WHAT DO THOSE NUMBERS LOOK LIKE AS A, YOU KNOW? YEAH, I, I CAN TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF PORTFOLIO AS A WHOLE, KNOWING THAT FAYETTE IS THE LARGEST, RIGHT? SO RIGHT NOW, IN A YEAR, UM, OUR PORTFOLIO IS ABOUT TWO AND A HALF TO 3 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CARBON EMISSIONS.

UM, AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, AND WE'RE MODELING FOR THE FUTURE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, UM, I THINK IT WAS BETWEEN SIX AND 7 MILLION METRIC TONS, UM, OVER 10 YEARS.

SO, UH, SO IT'S A TINY FRACTION.

I MEAN, THE, THE, THE, YES, THE CARBON EMISSIONS FROM THE PEAKERS, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A TINY FRACTION, ESPECIALLY IN COMPARISON TO THE COAL.

ONE OF, ONE OF THE MAIN, UH, UH, FEATURES OF A PEAKER UNIT OF PEAKER UNITS IS TO HELP US ENABLE OUR, AND READY US TO EXIT COAL, UM, UNTIL THERE'S ANOTHER TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN COME IN PLACE TO FILL THE GAP.

WELL, I, I, I VERY MUCH A APPRECIATE IT.

AND LAST QUESTION HERE, UM, COULD WE, UM, I I'M NOT, COULD WE STAIR STEP THIS PLAN IN THE SENSE OF BEFORE PEAKERS ARE GONNA BE ON THE TABLE, UH, CAN WE SEE A BATTERY BUILD OUT, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND JUST, WOULD THAT BE AN, AN OPTION FROM AUSTIN ENERGY'S PERSPECTIVE? I, I, I DON'T KNOW IF IT GETS LOST IN A COMMUNICATION, SO I JUST WANNA REITERATE AND BE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR ABOUT IT, RIGHT? MM-HMM.

, THE, THE PROBLEM IS NOW, AND THE ORDER OF OPERATIONS IS REALLY IN CRITICAL, RIGHT? CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS, DEMAND RESPONSE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LOCAL SOLAR, CUSTOMER SIGHTED BATTERIES, BENEFICIAL ELECTRIFICATION, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THEY COME FIRST MM-HMM, , RIGHT? WE ALSO NEED TO WORK ON TRANSMISSION.

TRANSMISSION TENDS TO HAVE A, IN, IN TEXAS

[04:00:01]

MM-HMM, .

UM, WE TALK ABOUT BATTERIES.

THEY COULD HAVE A ONE TO TWO YEAR LEAD TIME.

NATURAL GAS PEAKERS COULD TAKE A TWO TO THREE YEAR LEAD TIME.

SO WE CAN'T WAIT AND SEE, WE HAVE TO TAKE ACTION NOW AND START TAKING THE STEPS TO SEE, IS THAT RISK STILL THERE EVERY STEP OF THE WAY? IF IT IS, THEN WE NEED TO CONTINUE ON OUR PATH TO GETTING THOSE LOCAL SOLUTIONS HERE, HERE AND NOW.

UM, SO, UH, THE, THE TIMELINE DOESN'T WORK TO WAIT.

UM, AND, AND YES, YOU DO THE CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS FIRST, YOU START THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH IS ALREADY UNDERWAY.

IT'S WELL UNDERWAY.

YOU, UM, ADD IN THE BATTERIES AND, BUT YOU CAN'T STOP THERE AND JUST HOPE THAT IN A FEW YEARS WE'RE NOT GONNA NEED ADDITIONAL SUPPLY HERE.

MM-HMM, .

WELL, AGAIN, I, I APPRECIATE IT.

AND I JUST WANNA SAY ONE OF THE THINGS I KNOW WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT AFFORDABILITY, UH, A LOT, UH, TODAY.

AND, AND, AND I KNOW THAT THAT'S, IT'S KIND OF ITS OWN CONVERSATION, BUT I REPRESENT, UH, UH, QUITE POSSIBLY THE, THE POOREST OF THE COUNCIL DISTRICTS, AND A HUGE NUMBER OF MY CONSTITUENTS LIVE IN, UH, VERY OLD, UH, VERY LEAKY AND, UH, INEFFICIENT, UH, APARTMENTS.

UH, AND THEY HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL WHATSOEVER OVER ANY, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY HAVE NO DEMAND RESPONSE.

YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY CANNOT DO THAT.

THEIR APARTMENTS ARE NOT GONNA DO IT.

THEY ARE JUST COMPLETELY VULNERABLE TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE COLD WINTER DAYS, UH, AND, AND THE HOT SUMMER DAYS.

UH, AND, AND THAT IS A, A, A MAJOR CONSIDERATION OF MINE.

UM, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY AFFORDABILITY IN TERMS OF HOUSING, WE'VE TALKED THAT ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, GOOD GOD, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT A LOT.

UH, BUT, UH, AFFORDABILITY IS, IS JUST A MAJOR CONSIDERATION, ESPECIALLY FOR OUR MOST KIND OF VULNERABLE, THAT THEY CAN'T PUT SOLAR PANELS ON THEIR HOUSE.

THEY CAN'T DO REALLY ANYTHING.

THEY JUST HAVE TO PAY THE RENT AND SURVIVE.

UM, SO THAT'S GONNA BE JUST A, A, A MAJOR PART OF MY THINKING MOVING FORWARD ON THIS RESOURCE GENERATION PLAN.

THANK YOU FOR, FOR BRINGING THAT UP AGAIN, BECAUSE IT IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROBLEM OF THE SOLUTION.

AND IT'S THE FIRST THING THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IS, IS WHAT HITS THEIR ELECTRIC BILL.

UM, AND WHAT, WHETHER THEIR ENERGY RATES ARE GOING UP OR DOWN.

THE MORE PEOPLE UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE RELIABILITY AND, UM, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY, IT REALLY DOES HAVE AFFORDABILITY IMPACTS.

AND WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION SO THAT WE CAN MITIGATE THE RISK FOR THE COMMUNITY.

AND I APPRECIATE THAT.

AND I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I, I THINK THAT, AGAIN, JUST FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE INCREASES IN ELECTRICITY COSTS OVER THE, I THINK THE QUESTION IS, ARE THEY THEY GONNA, HOW MITIGATE THEM SMALL INCREASES, OR ARE THEY GONNA BE LARGE INCREASES? SO I, AGAIN, I JUST WANT TO BE HONEST WITH THE PUBLIC.

I MEAN, WE, WE HAVE TO INVEST IN OUR GRID.

WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR, OUR, OUR SYSTEMS, AND THAT'S GONNA TAKE MONEY.

UH, I, I KNOW WE TALK ABOUT BEARING ELECTRIC LINES, THAT'S GONNA BE EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE, NECESSARY BUT EXPENSIVE.

SO AGAIN, IT'S, THE QUESTION IS NOT REALLY, YOU KNOW, IF, UH, THE RATES ARE GONNA RISE, THE QUESTION TO ME IS HOW MUCH ARE OUR RATES GONNA RISE? SO, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER.

SO, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ELLIS, AND THEN, UH, A QUESTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER.

I APPRECIATE THE, THE THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS FROM ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES.

I WANTED TO ASK A VERY BASIC QUESTION.

AS FAR AS ALCOTT'S PROCESS, IS IT THE SAME, WHETHER IT'S PEAKERS OR BATTERIES? DO THEY GET INVOLVED AT THE SAME LEVEL OF WHEN WE TURN THINGS ON AND WHEN WE TURN THINGS OFF? BATTERIES VERSUS PEAKERS? UM, YES.

SO, UH, ERCOT LOOKS AT RESOURCES AS A WHOLE, AND THEIR, THEIR RULES APPLY TO EVERYTHING.

SO WHETHER YOU'RE BUILDING SOMETHING NEW OR YOU ARE, UM, SHUTTING SOMETHING DOWN, OR YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A RELIABILITY ISSUE AND YOU NEED TO RUN IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE, UM, ERCOT IT HAS A PART TO PLAY IN THAT PROCESS.

AND THEY MANAGE WHICH ONES GO ON AND OFF AT DIFFERENT TIMES BASED ON THE, THE ERCOT MARKET DOES THAT, IT SENDS THE PRICING SIGNALS TO, TO INDICATE WHICH ONES GO ON AND OFF.

GONNA WORK AS HARD AS WE POSSIBLY CAN.

THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.

UM, I KNOW THAT BALANCING AFFORDABILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY IS, IS A BIG QUESTION.

UM, HOW FAR OFF ARE WE, IS THERE A WAY THAT WE CAN LEAN MORE TOWARD THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS? OR ARE THOSE JUST TOO EXPENSIVE TO BE PART OF THE RECOMMENDATION TO LEAN HEAVIER ON THE ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE ASPECTS? SO WHAT, WHAT WE ARE PROPOSING, UM, IS TO LEAN AS HEAVILY AS WE THINK THAT WE RESPONSIBLY CAN ON THE, UH, CLEANEST OPTIONS THAT ARE TOOLS IN OUR TOOLKIT.

UM, AND THEN WE LOOK TO SAY, IS THAT ENOUGH? OR DO YOU NEED MORE? UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, I, I CAN'T STAND HERE AND REPRESENT TO YOU AND RECOMMEND TO YOU TO, TO BUILD A PLAN THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, HOPING ON, UH, SAYING WE'RE

[04:05:01]

WE DO WORK AS HARD AS WE CAN, AND OUR, OUR TRACK RECORD TOUCHED ON IT, UM, AND MORE INNOVATION WILL COME, RIGHT? UM, SO IT IS ALL ABOUT AS MUCH AS WE CAN ON THE, UH, CLEANEST SOLUTIONS FIRST.

UM, AND THEN WHEN YOU, YOU, THE, THE ANALYSIS SAYS THERE IS STILL RISK TO BE, TO BE RESOLVED AND TO TO BE MITIGATED.

THERE'S STILL GROWTH TO BE SERVED.

UM, AND THAT'S WHERE YOU START TO ADD IN THE OTHER TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX.

THANK YOU FOR THAT INFORMATION.

UM, AND I WANTED TO ADD MY VOICE OF SUPPORT FOR MITIGATION EFFORTS.

I, I HEAR MY COLLEAGUES TALKING ABOUT THE CONSTITUENTS THEY SERVE AND ANY SORTS OF CONCERNS THAT THEY HAVE ABOUT, UM, EMISSIONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.

AND, AND HOPE THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW THE PLAN MOVES FORWARD, THAT WE KEEP OUR EYES ON MITIGATION AND TRY TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO PROVIDE CLEAN AIR FOR PEOPLE TO BREATHE NO MATTER WHICH DISTRICT PEOPLE ARE LIVING IN.

UM, AND THEN ANY OTHER INVESTMENTS YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT AS FAR AS DAY-TO-DAY RELIABILITY? I CAN, I CAN SPEAK, UM, ON BEHALF OF THE FOLKS THAT ARE ON AUSTIN ENERGY THAT ARE IN MY DISTRICT, AND, UM, NOBODY LIKES TO PAY HIGHER BILLS FOR SURE.

UM, BUT PAYING HIGHER BILLS AND HAVING OUTAGES IS SOMETHING THAT GETS PEOPLE TALKING.

YOU KNOW, THEY WANNA MAKE SURE IF, IF THEY'RE FOOTING THE BILL AND THEY'RE SUPPORTING THESE OTHER INITIATIVES MOVING FORWARD FOR BETTER RELIABILITY AND MORE PREDICTABILITY, UM, THEY REALLY WANT THAT GUARANTEE THAT SAYS WE'RE GONNA HAVE MINIMIZED OUTAGES AND THAT THE ONES THAT ARE, ARE GONNA BE OUT OF OUR CONTROL.

SO CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ANYTHING LIKE AGING INFRASTRUCTURE REPAIRS OR OTHER SORTS OF PLANS THAT YOU HAVE IN THE MIX? YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.

WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT RELIABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH LOCAL GENERATION.

UM, BUT YOUR POINT RAISES, UM, THAT WE RELIABILITY HAS, IS MULTIFACETED.

AND SO IT'S ALSO ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR, OUR DISTRIBUTION WIRES, OUR INFRASTRUCTURE AS A WHOLE.

IT'S ABOUT INVESTING IN OUR, OUR PLANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE RELIABLE AND AVAILABLE WHEN NECESSARY.

UM, AND ALL OF THAT IS, UH, PART OF OUR, OUR PLAN.

AND I, I WANNA BE CLEAR THAT, UM, THERE'S BEEN SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT, WELL, IF YOU WOULD MAKE INVESTMENTS AND THE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS COUNCILMAN VALO WAS JUST SAYING THAT THERE INVESTMENT HAS TO BE MADE ON THE GENERATION PLAN.

IF YOU MAKE THESE INVESTMENTS, WHAT ARE YOU NOT DOING? AND, AND I JUST WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR IT'S NOT AN EITHER OR SITUATION.

UM, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ON THE GENERATION SIDE IS REALLY ABOUT OFFSETTING COSTS THAT ARE DIRECTLY PASSED THROUGH TO OUR CUSTOMERS.

UM, AND, AND BY DOING THAT WITH SOME, UM, INVESTMENT THAT HELPS THEM GO AWAY AND STAY AWAY, AS OPPOSED TO BEING CONTINUAL COSTS PASSED TO OUR CUSTOMERS, UM, WE STILL HAVE THE ABILITY TO INVEST IN OUR WIRES.

UM, AND WE'LL BE COMING BACK TO YOU IN A FEW MONTHS TALKING ABOUT OVERHEAD HARDENING AND UNDERGROUNDING FEASIBILITY.

THAT DOES IT FOR MY QUESTIONS FOR TODAY, AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE QUESTIONS MY COLLEAGUES HAVE BROUGHT AND THE, UH, COMMENTARY THAT OUR SPEAKERS BROUGHT TO US TODAY.

IT'S GIVEN US A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.

YES, THANK YOU.

COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNCIL MEMBER ALLISON ALTER, AND THEN COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, AND THEN I WILL CLOSE.

WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT.

UM, I'LL TRY AND BE QUICK, UM, FOR THE, UM, PROCESS MOVING FORWARD.

UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE REPORT IS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT, UM, OR THE PLAN IS SUPPOSED TO COME OUT NEXT WEDNESDAY, WHICH IS RIGHT BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

AND THEN THERE'S A VERY QUICK TURNAROUND FOR THE EUC IN ORDER FOR US TO VOTE ON DECEMBER 12TH.

WE'VE KNOWN THIS FOR A REALLY, REALLY LONG TIME THAT THESE WERE THE TIMINGS OF WHEN WE NEEDED TO DO IT.

SO I WANTED TO ASK IF THERE'S A WAY, UM, TO ACCELERATE THE RELEASE OF THE REPORT WITHOUT JEOPARDIZING THE QUALITY OF THE PLAN TO REALLY THINK ABOUT DOING THAT, UM, SO THAT OUR EUC MEMBERS CAN PROVIDE US THEIR INPUT, UM, THE BEST THAT THEY CAN UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

UM, AGAIN, IF IT, IF IT WON'T COMPROMISE IT, BUT IF YOU'RE JUST WAITING FOR, YOU KNOW, TO RUN IT THROUGH THE CITY MANAGER OR YOU'RE WAITING FOR, FOR, FOR SOMEBODY TO SIGN OFF ON SOMETHING, IF WE CAN TRY TO ACCELERATE, UM, THOSE REVIEWS AND, AND RESPOND QUICKLY, UM, SO THAT WE CAN GET THAT OUT SOONER, I WOULD APPRECIATE THAT.

UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA BE SOMETHING YOU CAN LOOK AT.

UM, YEAH, WE, WE HAVE LOOKED AT THE SCHEDULE TO SEE HOW QUICKLY WE CAN GET IT OUT.

UM, WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING AND SHAPING THE PLAN BASED OFF OF THE FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED LAST NIGHT, FEEDBACK WE RECEIVED LAST WEEK, AND THE FEEDBACK, Y'ALL HAVE GIVEN US A LOT OF FEEDBACK THAT YOU, WE NEED US TO INCORPORATE TODAY.

WE NEED TO DO THAT MEANINGFULLY SO THAT WHEN YOU COME, WHEN YOU SEE IT, YOU SEE YOUR, YOUR COMMENTS REFLECTED IN THE PLAN.

UM, AND, AND ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO ACCELERATE IT, WE WILL.

UM, BUT I I, I, I EXPECT THAT IT'LL BE COMING OUT ON THE 27TH.

I DO THE VERY BEST WE CAN, BUT WE'RE WORKING ALL DAY, ALL NIGHT, AND ALL WEEKENDS TO TRY TO GET IT OUT TO Y'ALL.

UM, I ALSO WANTED TO BUILD OFF OF WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VELA WAS SAYING.

'CAUSE I THINK IT GOES BACK TO MY REQUEST EARLIER OF, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO HAVE SOME SENSE OF WHAT THESE DECISION POINTS ARE FOR THE PEAKERS, HOW MUCH THEY COST, AND THE ESTIMATED TIMING.

I KNOW IT WILL SHIFT, UM, BUT

[04:10:01]

'CAUSE UM, YOU KNOW, AS YOU'VE SAID, WE'RE, WE'RE ALLOWING YOU TO EXPLORE IT, BUT IN ORDER TO ALLOW YOU TO EXPLORE IT, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF HEARTACHE OF THE NOTION OF GIVING UP THAT WE'RE NOT ADDING ANYMORE CARBON.

AND, AND SO WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE CLARITY THAT WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE ABLE TO BE ASSESSING RISKS IN REAL TIME AS WE GO, AND THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA GO, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS FROM NOW AND YOU'LL BE LIKE, OH, WE SPENT X AMOUNT AND WE CAN'T GO BACK NOW THAT WE KNOW Y HAPPENED IN THE WORLD.

UM, AND I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW YOU DO THAT, BUT YOU'VE TOLD ME THAT WE CAN DO THAT.

SO I'M EXPECTING TO SEE THAT IN THE PLAN.

THANK YOU, COUNCIL MEMBER AND COUNCIL MEMBER RYAN ALTER, QUICK FOLLOW UP.

UH, COUNCILOR VELA MADE ME THINK ABOUT, UM, THE TIME IT TAKES TO DO SOME OF THESE THINGS IN TERMS OF WHETHER THAT'S BUILD YOUR DEMAND RESPONSE CAPACITY OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY, LOCAL SOLAR, RIGHT? IT TAKES UNDER YOUR MODELS.

WE DON'T DUMP IT ALL IN IN YEAR ONE, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT, AND SO MY, I GUESS THE QUESTION I HAVE FOR YOU IS, GIVEN THAT TIME TO REALLY BUILD UP THOSE ASSETS, ALL OF 'EM UNDER THE CURRENT MODEL OR PORTFOLIO THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING TO, THAT INCLUDES THE PEAKERS AND LOOKING TO MOVE FORWARD ON ONCE WE HIT 2035, IF WE WANTED TO GO CARBON FREE E IS IT SAFE TO ASSUME WE WOULDN'T HAVE THE SOLAR AND THE BATTERY OR WHATEVER OTHER TECHNOLOGY BUILT UP IN THOSE 10 YEARS SO THAT WE COULD JUST SAY, WE'RE GOING CARBON FREE, LIKE, YOU KNOW, TAKE THAT DROP OFF, OR ARE, I'M, I'M THINKING ABOUT WHAT WE'RE SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR THE NEXT 10 YEARS.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I'M, I, I'M NOT SURE I FOLLOW THE QUESTION.

SO WILL, IF, IF WE GO FORWARD WITH WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, AND WE'LL SEE MORE DETAILS COME NEXT WEEK, BUT WILL WE HAVE TO SOME DEGREE FORECLOSED OUR ABILITY TO BE A HUNDRED PERCENT CARBON FREE IN 2035? BECAUSE WE CAN'T JUST SAY, OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA DROP SANDHILL OFF DECKER, OFF THESE PEAKERS OFF, AND WE DON'T HAVE, YOU KNOW, A THOUSAND MEGAWATTS OF SOLAR BEHIND IT TO, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT DOES MAKE SENSE, YEAH.

AND THE ANSWER IS, IS NO, WE'RE NOT SETTING OURSELVES UP FOR THAT.

UM, I NEED TO REITERATE AND MAKE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THAT WE DON'T PICK A PORTFOLIO.

THE PLAN DOES NOT SAY, BUILD THIS MUCH IN THIS YEAR, BUILD THIS MUCH IN THIS YEAR, BUILD THIS IN THIS MUCH YEAR, RETIRE THIS IN THIS YEAR, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T GET THAT PRESCRIPTIVE, IT, THAT PRESCRIPTION, UH, ASSUMES PERFECT INSIGHT OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE AND PERFECT KNOWLEDGE OF, UM, WHAT IS STILL EVOLVING AND EMERGING IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY.

SO THE, THE PLAN NEEDS TO PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY NOT ONLY FOR EMERGING TECH, BUT ALSO TO CHANGE AND ADAPT TO CHANGING ENERGY LANDSCAPE.

AND, AND THAT'S WHERE I KIND OF STARTED MY CONVERSATION THIS MORNING ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT THE ENERGY LANDSCAPE IS TODAY COMPARED TO IT WAS WHEN THE LAST PLAN WAS ADOPTED.