Dec 02, 2024 Special Electric Utility Commission

[00:00:02]

MEETING OF ELECTRICITY UTILITY

[CALL MEETING TO ORDER]

DECEMBER 2ND, 2024.

IT'S CALLED MEETING TO ORDER

[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL ]

ALRIGHT, UM, WE'RE FIRST GONNA TAKE REMOTE SPEAKERS.

WE HAVE THREE OF THEM.

THE FIRST SPEAKER IS CAROLYN, CAROLYN KRUM.

YOU'LL NEED TO UNMUTE AND YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.

OKAY.

IS KAREN HADDEN READY TO GO? YOU'LL HAVE THREE MINUTES.

CAN YOU HEAR OKAY? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.

HI, GOOD EVENING.

UM, I'M GLAD TO HAVE THIS CHANCE TO TALK WITH ALL OF YOU.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK HAVING SERVED ON THE UC IN THE PAST.

I UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH IT IS.

AND, UM, AT ONE POINT, UH, EVEN CHAIRED THE, UH, GENERATION TASK FORCE.

SO I UNDERSTAND, UM, WHAT YOU'RE WORKING ON TONIGHT AND RESPECT, UM, WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

I, UH, ESPECIALLY LIKE THE RESOLUTION THAT HAS BEEN PUT FORWARD, I THINK IT APPROPRIATELY ADDRESSES WHAT, UM, AUSTIN ENERGY G SHOULD BE ADOPTING AS GOALS.

UM, THESE GOALS HAVE SERVED AUSTIN ENERGY WELL IN THE PAST AND ALLOWED THE UTILITY TO KEEP ELECTRIC RATES LOW WHILE ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTIVELY AND AFFORDABLY.

I HOPE THAT THAT'S THE PATH AUSTIN ENERGY WILL CHOOSE AND NOT PEAKER GAS PLANTS.

AND IN THE FUTURE, I HOPE THAT WE DON'T SEE A, A SHIFT, UM, TO WHERE NUCLEAR IS CONSIDERED IN ANY WAY, BECAUSE THAT'S A FINANCIAL DISASTER.

WE KNOW THAT FROM THE LAST TIME AROUND WHERE, UM, CPS ENERGY AND CENTERPOINT BOTH LOST 400 MILLION AND AUSTIN ENERGY WAS SMART ENOUGH TO STAY AWAY FROM THE PROPOSED NEW REACTORS AND WE SAVED THAT MONEY.

SO I SUPPORT YOU AND HOPE THAT YOU'LL GET ON WITH THE BUSINESS OF PASSING THAT RESOLUTION TONIGHT.

I THINK IT WOULD SERVE US ALL WELL AS RATE PAYERS.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU.

UH, NEXT SPEAKER IS RAPHAEL SCHWARTZ.

HI THERE.

CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME? YEP, GO AHEAD.

HI.

YEAH, SORRY I COULDN'T BE THERE IN PERSON.

UH, STILL TRAVELING HOME AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.

HOPE THE AUDIO IS OKAY.

UH, MY NAME IS RAEL SCHWARTZ.

I'M A MEMBER OF THE RESOURCE MANAGEMENT COMMISSION.

UH, I WAS ABLE TO TAKE SOME TIME AFTER THE HOLIDAY TO DIGEST THE RESOURCE PLAN AND TAKE A DEEP DIVE.

UH, SO JUST LOOKING AT THE, THE NEW PROPOSED GOALS AND HOW THEY RELATE TO THE CURRENT GOALS FROM 2030, THEY WERE ADOPTED FOUR YEARS AGO.

AND OVERALL, THE WAY THAT I SEE, UH, DEMAND RESPONSE AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY HAVE BEEN GIVEN OBJECTIVELY LESS AMBITIOUS TARGETS THAN IN THE PLAN PAST FOUR YEARS AGO.

UM, ASIDE FROM THE IDEA OF NEW GAS PLANTS, I WAS GENUINELY SURPRISED TO SEE THIS LEVEL OF ROLLING BACK HERE ON THESE FRONTS.

SO FOR ME, UM, UNFORTUNATELY THE THEME HERE IS THE UTILITY KIND OF PUSHING BACK THE TARGETS.

AND AFTER HAVING NOT ROLLED OUT PROGRAMS QUICKLY ENOUGH, IT SEEMS THAT REMOVING THESE TARGETS AND ALLOWING THE UTILITY TO BUILD NEW MORE GAS GENERATION WILL ONLY REDUCE THE UTILITIES, UM, AMBITION IN THE FUTURE MOVING FORWARD IN THESE ITEMS, WHICH WE KNOW ARE CRITICAL.

UM, NOT TO GET TOO INTO THE WEEDS, BUT I KNOW THAT ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AUSTIN OXYGEN ENERGY IS MOVING THE GOAL OF 9 75 BACK FROM 2030 TO 2027.

UM, I KNOW THAT WE'RE ALREADY WELL OVER 90% OF THE WAY THERE, THAT IF THE STATUS QUO OF THE YEARLY ACHIEVEMENTS ON THIS FROM THE LAST LIKE 10 TO 15 YEARS, UM, HOLD GOING FORWARD, WE WOULD ACHIEVE THIS GOAL LIKE IN 12 MONTHS FROM NOW.

SO, UM, UH, PUTTING THIS AT 2027 RATHER THAN 2030, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT AN INCREASE IN AMBITION, BUT IT'S REALLY A FAIRLY DRAMATIC REDUCTION FROM THE STATUS QUO THAT WE'RE CURRENTLY IN, UH, SETTING.

THIS GOAL SEEMS TO BE, UH, GIVING UP ON INCREASING THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY GOALS.

AND THE OTHER THING I WANTED TO MENTION IS ON THE DEMAND DEMAND RESPONSE SIDE, SIMILAR, THE 2 25 GOAL THAT WE HAD FOR 2030 IS NOW BEING SHIFTED TO TWO 70 BY 2035.

SO IT'S ONLY AN INCREASE OF NINE EXTRA MEGAWATTS PER YEAR FROM 20 30 23 5.

SO IT'S A GOAL THAT ALSO REPRESENTS, UH, UNFORTUNATELY A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN ON THE DEMAND RESPONSE SIDE.

SO I THINK, UM, OVERALL, IF THIS IS ALL A SERIOUS PART OF OUR PLAN, AUSTIN ENERGY HAS NOT BEEN SERIOUS ENOUGH ABOUT RAMPING THIS UP, OR AT LEAST THE PLAN DOESN'T

[00:05:01]

SO TO ME, OVERALL THE UPDATE APPEARS LIGHT IN THE DETAILS.

UM, AND I WAS DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT IT WILL REMOVE AND DELAY THE TARGETS OF THE PREVIOUS PLAN.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

CAROLYN CREW, ARE YOU AVAILABLE? YOU WILL JUST NEED TO UNMUTE.

UM, CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? YES.

SORRY ABOUT THE TECHNICAL GLITCHES.

.

ALL GOOD.

UM, GOOD EVENING.

UH, I, I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION BEFORE YOU, WHICH MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE 2035 RESOURCE PLAN, ESPECIALLY THE COMMITMENT TO NOT BUILD OR BUY CARBON EMITTING PLANTS.

THE REQUIREMENT TO CONDUCT A A THIRD PARTY ANALYSIS BEFORE PROCEEDING WITH RESOURCES THAT PRODUCED AIR POLLUTION AND ALSO A SPECIFIC STATED GOAL FOR BATTERY STORAGE.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSED PLAN DOESN'T EVEN STATE A SPECIFIC GOAL FOR BATTERY STORAGE.

UTILITIES ARE USING BATTERY STORAGE ALL ACROSS ERCOT FOR RELIABILITY, AND AUSTIN SHOULD TOO.

WE, WE WOULD STILL HAVE THE CURRENT DECKER DECKER PLANTS TO BE USED FOR POWER WHEN NEEDED.

I ALSO APPRECIATE THAT THE PROPOSED RESOLUTION DOES NOT MENTION NUCLEAR ENERGY AS PART OF THE RESOURCE PLAN.

AUSTIN ENERGY'S PROPOSED PLAN IS TITLED POWERING AUSTIN'S CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE AND NEW NUCLEAR NUCLEAR PLANTS, AS WELL AS NEW FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS ARE ANYTHING BUT CLEAN.

THERE'S NO REASON TO EVEN STUDY NUCLEAR AS AUSTIN ENERGY'S PLAN SUGGESTS.

NUCLEAR ENERGY IS BY FAR THE MOST EXPENSIVE FORM OF ENERGY, AND IT'S A CARBON INTENSIVE AND EXTRACTIVE ENERGY SOURCE LIKE FOSSIL FUELS.

TO COMPARE IT FAIRLY WITH RENEWABLE ENERGY, NUCLEAR ENERGY'S, CARBON EMISSIONS NEED TO INCLUDE EMISSIONS FROM THE WHOLE CYCLE OF CONSTRUCTION, EXTRACTION, PROCESSING, ENERGY PRODUCTION, AND WASTE.

NUCLEAR ENERGY PRODUCES TWO TIMES THE GREENHOUSE GASES THAT SOLAR PRODUCES, AND SIX TIMES THE AMOUNT THAT LAND-BASED WIND PRODUCES.

THE COST OF STORING HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE NUCLEAR WASTE ESSENTIALLY FOREVER WOULD BE IMMENSE, AND IN REALITY IS TOTALLY UNKNOWN.

PROPOSED.

SMALL MODULAR REACTORS WOULD PRODUCE TWO TO 33 TIMES THE AMOUNT OF HIGH LEVEL WASTE AS PRESENT CONVENTIONAL, CONVENTIONAL NUCLEAR REACTORS.

WE NEED TO MAINTAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO NO NEW FOSSIL FUEL PLANTS AND NO NEW NUCLEAR PLANTS.

I HOPE YOU PASS THE RESOLUTION AND THAT IT SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE TO AUSTIN ENERGY.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UM, THAT'S IT FOR OUR REMOTE SPEAKERS.

AND NOW WE HAVE IN-PERSON SPEAKERS.

THE FIRST IS JEN KRIEGER.

HELLO, GOOD EVENING.

UM, MY NAME IS JEN KRIEGER.

I'M COMMENTING ON THE DRAFT 2035 RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN.

I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST THANK AUSTIN ENERGY FOR CREATING THE NEW RESOURCE PLAN WEBPAGE PER MY EARLIER REQUEST.

UH, THE PAGE IS THOROUGH AND TRANSPARENT.

THANK YOU.

I'LL ALSO NOTE THAT THE NOVEMBER 19TH CITY COUNCIL UTILITY OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE MEETING NEEDS TO BE ADDED TO THAT PAGE.

UM, AND I WILL SEND MORE DETAILED WRITTEN COMMENTS, BUT WANNA COMMUNICATE A FEW KEY POINTS THIS EVENING.

THE FIRST OF WHICH IS THAT WHILE THE PROPOSED NEW PEAKER UNITS MAY HELP US MEET OUR SHORT TERM RELIABILITY AND COST CONTAINMENT GOALS, THEY WILL FURTHER EXACERBATE OUR LONG-TERM CLIMATE CRISIS BY LOCKING IN MORE FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN BE PASSED OFF TO ANOTHER UTILITY AFTER 2035.

BY CONTINUING TO DIG OUR CLIMATE HOLE DEEPER, WE ARE MAKING IT EVER MORE COSTLY TO MEET OUR COMMUNITY'S ELECTRICITY NEEDS IN A CONTINUALLY DESTABILIZING CLIMATE AND PRICE ESCALATING ENVIRONMENT.

WINTER STORMS LIKE YURI AND MARA RISING ELECTRICITY DEMAND AND HEAT STRESSES ON ELECTRICAL GENERATION AND DELIVERY EQUIPMENT ARE A RESULT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.

IF WE CONTINUE TO BURN FOSSIL FUELS AND ALLOW CLIMATE CHANGE TO GET WORSE, RELIABILITY CHALLENGES AND COST WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE OVER BOTH THE SHORT AND LONG TERM.

WE ARE DIGGING OUR HOLE DEEPER EVERY YEAR THAT WE DO DELAY OUR DISINVESTMENT FROM FOSSIL FUELS TO AVOID DIGGING THIS HOLE ANY DEEPER THAN IT HAS TO BE, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE PROPOSED PLAN INCORPORATE A SPECIFIC COST AND RELIABILITY RISK THRESHOLD THAT IF TRIGGERED AUSTIN ENERGY WOULD HAVE TO PRESENT ITS CASE TO THE ELECTRIC UTILITY COMMISSION AND CITY COUNCIL TO JUSTIFY INVESTMENT IN ANY NEW METH METHANE GAS GENERATION LIKE THE PROPOSED PEAKERS.

THIS ANALYSIS SHOULD INCLUDE A HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT OF FINANCIAL AND NON-FINANCIAL COST AND BENEFITS OF THE PROPOSED FOSSIL FUEL INVESTMENT.

IN FACT, THIS TYPE OF HOLISTIC ASSESSMENT OF THE COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS IS CALLED FOR AN AUSTIN ENERGY'S REDEFINITION OF THE PLAN'S CORE VALUE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

[00:10:02]

BUT IF WE'RE GOING TO RELY ON THEM, I WANT US TO BE REALISTIC ABOUT THE REAL SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, CO SOCIAL, AND ECONOMIC COSTS AND FUTURE IMPLICATIONS OF SUCH A DECISION.

AUSTIN ENERGY ALSO MAKES THE ARGUMENT THAT THE PROPOSED NEW PEAKER UNITS WILL BE MORE EFFICIENT AND THEREFORE LOWER EMITTING THAN THE EXISTING ONES AT DECKER AND SAND HILL.

THIS IS GENERALLY TRUE, BUT AGAIN, LOCKS IN MORE FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WILL BE HARDER TO WALK AWAY FROM.

COME 2035, AUSTIN ENERGY ALSO PROPOSES ESTABLISHING SO-CALLED EMISSIONS GUARDRAILS AFTER THE NEW PEAKER UNITS ARE INSTALLED.

THIS JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

WE SHOULD SET AN EMISSIONS LIMIT NOW IN THE 2035 PLAN FOR ALL AUSTIN ENERGY OWNED AND PROCURED GENERATION, AND THEN IF NEEDED, SELECT UNITS WITH APPROPRIATE EMISSIONS CONTROL TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL HELP US STAY BELOW THAT LIMIT.

WE ALSO SHOULD ESTABLISH RULES OUTLINING THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH ANY FOSSIL FUEL UNITS CAN RUN.

ONE WAY OF DOING THIS IS ADAPTING REACH TO APPLY NOT ONLY TO FA IT, BUT ALSO THE GAS UNITS.

THE SOCIAL COST OF CARBON ESTIMATES FROM REACH ALSO NEED TO BE UPDATED TO ONE, INCLUDE ALL TYPES OF AIR POLLUTANTS AND TWO, REFLECT THE LATEST ESTIMATES USING SOURCES LIKE THE ONES I PREVIOUSLY PROVIDED FROM THE US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.

APPLYING REACH TO ALL FOSSIL FUEL GENERATION HAS THE ADDED BENEFIT OF GIVING AUSTIN ENERGY, THE FLEXIBILITY IT IS ASKING FOR TO ACHIEVE OUR COMMUNITY'S CARBON FREE ELECTRICITY OUTCOME WITHOUT OVERLY PRESCRIPTIVE MEASURES FOR HOW TO GET THERE.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS MARY MICHAEL.

GOOD EVENING.

MY NAME IS MARY MICHAEL AND I'M AN INTERN WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN.

I'M SPEAKING TODAY TO VOICE MY CONCERNS ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN.

RIGHT NOW, EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT IS FAILING THE WORLD WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE ACTION.

THE RECENT COP 29 MEETING, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO FACILITATE INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE ACTION, WAS LARGELY INVE ATTENDED BY OIL AND GAS INVESTORS.

AND THE CONVENER OF THE MEETING EVEN DESCRIBED OIL AS A GIFT FROM GOD.

IT'S CLEAR THAT THOSE AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL WILL NOT HELP US.

ACTION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL WILL ALSO BE HALTED AND MOST LIKELY EVEN REVERSED THROUGHOUT THE NEXT FOUR YEARS.

AND WE'RE LIKELY TO SEE THE SAME AT THE STATE LEVEL.

SO THOSE LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT ADDITIONALLY ARE ALSO NOT GOING TO HELP US.

THE FUTURE OF OUR CLIMATE IS LOOKING BLEAK, BUT GREAT PROGRESS CAN STILL BE MADE AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.

AUSTIN ENERGY HAS THE OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO COMMIT TO A CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE AND DO ITS PART TO CUT GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER TO TAKE SERIOUS CLIMATE ACTION ON A LOCAL SCALE TO SPEAK FROM A FINANCIAL POINT OF VIEW.

IT'S MORE COST EFFECTIVE IN THE LONG RUN TO MAKE THE INVESTMENTS IN CLEAN ENERGY.

NOW, AUSTIN ENERGY THINKS THAT THERE'S SOME ECONOMIC OR RELIABILITY RISKS WITH ABANDONING GAS PLANTS, BUT THESE CAN BE AVOIDED WITH AN AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION OF ROOFTOP SOLAR AND OTHER CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES.

AND I ALSO THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT IF WE DO NOT MAKE THE SWITCH TO CLEAN ENERGY, AUSTIN WILL OCCUR MUCH MORE ECONOMIC AND RELIABILITY AND RELIABILITY LOSSES IN THE LONG TERM.

AS THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE WORSEN THESE IMPACTS, WHICH INCLUDE MORE SEVERE AND FREQUENT HEAT WAVES, DROUGHTS AND WINTER STORMS WILL COST THE CITY AND THE UTILITY MUCH MORE DOWN THE LINE THAN IT WILL CAUSE TO TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY.

NOW LUCKILY, AUSTIN'S IN A GREAT POSITION TO HAVE AN AGGRESSIVE EXPANSION OF ROOFTOP SOLAR.

WE HAVE A CLIMATE THAT'S GREAT FOR SOLAR ENERGY GENERATION, AND WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE A MUNICIPALLY OWNED UTILITY.

MORE ROOFTOP SOLAR IN AUSTIN WILL ACCOMPLISH SO MANY THINGS BESIDES JUST DOING OUR PART TO SLOW CLIMATE CHANGE.

IT ALSO CREATES GREEN JOBS, INCREASES ENERGY RESILIENCE, AND CAN REDUCE ENERGY COSTS AND GRID CONGESTION DURING PEAK TIMES.

I'VE RESEARCHED THE POTENTIAL OF ROOFTOP SOLAR ON CITY OF AUSTIN OWNED BUILDINGS, AND MY ANALYSIS SHOWS THAT THESE BUILDINGS ALONE HAVE A CAPACITY OF AT LEAST 14 MEGAWATTS OF ROOFTOP SOLAR ENERGY.

MY DATA SET DIDN'T INCLUDE EVERY CITY OF AUSTIN BUILDING, BUT THE RESULTS STILL SHOW A VERY PROMISING ENERGY POTENTIAL FOR ROOFTOP SOLAR IN AUSTIN.

SO NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO OPEN NEW PEAKER PLANTS.

WE CANNOT AFFORD TO CONTINUE WITH GREENHOUSE GAS EMITTING ENERGY SOURCES WHEN THERE ARE OTHER SOLUTIONS AVAILABLE.

THE UPDATED AUSTIN ENERGY RESOURCE PLAN NEEDS TO COMMIT TO A COMPLETE TRANSITION TO RENEWABLE ENERGY AND TO NOT OPEN ANY NEW GAS PLANTS.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS SHANE JOHNSON.

AFTER SHANE WILL BE CAMILLE COOK.

UH, GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

UM, YEAH, YEAH, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE HERE.

BUT, UH, JUST TO BUILD SLIGHTLY OFF OF WHAT, UM, JEN WAS SAYING BEFORE ME, YOU KNOW, WE

[00:15:01]

UM, IF WE DON'T DO THAT, THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES THAT WE CAN FOR SURE LOWER OUR EMISSIONS.

WE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE A THIRD PARTY ANALYSIS OF.

UH, AND, YOU KNOW, IF THERE ARE SOME REALLY SEVERE, UH, HOT WEATHER DAYS, UH, OR EVEN COLD WEATHER DAYS WHERE WE END UP HAVING TO RUN THESE NEW PEAKERS SO MUCH AND ALL OF THE OLD PEAKERS ENOUGH, THERE COULD BE A THRESHOLD WHERE THAT JUST IS INCREASING OUR POLLUTION OUTRIGHT.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE, DOESN'T SEEM TO HAVE BEEN ANALYZED, UH, AND THAT WE NEED TO NEED TO ANALYZE BEFORE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD.

UM, ALSO EMPHASIZE THAT, UM, WE DON'T CURRENTLY HAVE A CRITICAL RELIABILITY NEED TO BUILD NEW PEAKERS AND COMMIT AND COMMIT TO THEM TODAY.

OR EXCUSE ME, THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS MONTH.

UM, AUSTIN ENERGY SHOULD MEET AFFORDABILITY AND RELI RELIABILITY NEEDS WITH CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS BEFORE YOU KNOW, THIS, UH, PATH CONTINUES ON, UH, WITH IMPLEMENTING NEW PEAKERS.

UM, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO LOCAL SOLAR, THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES, THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE TRANSMISSION UPGRADES, UH, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ADEQUATELY DOING SO.

UM, UH, LAST THING I'LL EMPHASIZE IS THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, DIFFERENT, OUR COALITION OF ORGANIZATIONS HAD A PETITION OF WHERE OVER 1300 AUSTINITES SIGNED AND, UH, ASKING THAT WE DON'T PURSUE PEAKERS AT THIS POINT, THAT WE PRIORITIZE BATTERIES AND CLEAN ENERGY FIRST, UH, AND THAT WE SEE IF THOSE TECHNOLOGIES CAN MEET OUR NEEDS BEFORE WE PURSUE GAS PEAKER PLANTS.

UH, AND SO WE NEED TO FRANKLY BRING OUR PUBLIC UTILITY BACK IN LINE WITH THE PUBLIC'S PERSPECTIVES AND NEEDS.

UM, SO, UH, I SUPPORT THE RESOLUTION BEFORE Y'ALL.

UM, AS CAROLYN KRUM SAID EARLIER, UH, AND THE FRANKLY PRETTY SILLY NOTION THAT WE WOULD PURSUE NUCLEAR REALLY SHOULDN'T BE ON THE TABLE.

UH, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THERE'S A SINGLE PERSON IN THIS ROOM WHO WOULD WANT A NUCLEAR POWER PLANT NEXT TO THEIR HOME.

AND IF YOU'RE NOT WILLING TO PUT IT NEXT TO YOUR OWN HOME BECAUSE IT'S TOO DANGEROUS, THAT'S NOT SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING AT ALL.

UM, BUT YEAH, I'LL, I'LL END IT THERE.

AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND PLEASE, UH, YOU KNOW, PRIORITIZE CLEAN ENERGY, LOCAL CLEAN ENERGY SOLUTIONS AND BATTERIES BEFORE WE PURSUE PEAKERS.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS CAMILLE COOK AND THEN DON BROWN AFTER CAMILLE.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS CAMILLE COOK AND I WORK WITH PUBLIC CITIZEN.

I'M HERE TO SPEAK ON THE UPDATE AND ENCOURAGE THE EUC TO AMEND THE RESOLUTION AND ESTABLISH CLEAR INTERIM GOALS THAT MUST BE MET BEFORE LOOKING AT GAS PEAKERS.

WE'VE SEEN THROUGH THIS YEAR LONG PROCESS THAT WE HAVE PLENTY OF TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUES WE'RE FACING HERE IN CENTRAL TEXAS.

WE CAN, IM IMPLEMENT SOME OF THESE TOOLS PRETTY QUICKLY, LIKE WITH ENERGY EFFICIENCY UPGRADES AND WEATHERIZATION, AND WE'RE ALREADY VASTLY BEHIND MANY OTHER UTILITIES IN OR CAUGHT IN REGARD TO LOCAL BATTERY DEPLOYMENT.

IF WE BUILD NEW GAS PEAKER PLANTS, THERE'S NO GUARANTEE THAT WE CAN CLOSE THE EXISTING PLANTS WE HAVE.

IT JUST CAME OUT TODAY THAT CPS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED, WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO CLOSE DOWN THEIR BRO EGG UNIT THREE GAS PLANT.

IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE SHUT DOWN IN THE SPRING, BUT ERCOT IS MAKING IT STAY OPEN LIKE CPS WE'RE FACING TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS, PRETTY, PRETTY INCREDIBLE TRANSMISSION CONSTRAINTS.

AND IF WE BUILD THESE PEAKERS, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT, THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO SHUT THEM DOWN IN THE FUTURE OR EVEN SHUT DOWN DECKER AND SAND HILL WHEN WE WANT TO.

WE MUST MAKE SURE THAT EVERY POSSIBLE TOOL IS IMPLEMENTED BEFORE BUILDING MORE NATURAL GAS.

THERE ARE MANY TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE, AND THESE TOOLS ARE NOT EXPENSIVE.

DO NOT ADMIT, EMIT NOXIOUS EMISSIONS AND DO NOT LOCK US INTO MORE FOSSIL FUEL INFRASTRUCTURE.

WITH ALL THE DEMAND PROJECTIONS AHEAD OF US, I THINK ANY, ANYTHING THAT IS BUILT NOW WILL STICK AROUND CENTRAL TEXAS FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.

I ENCOURAGE Y'ALL TO THINK EXTRA HARD ABOUT CLEARING, MORE PEAKERS TO BE BUILT.

THEY COULD OUTLAST ALL OF US.

THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

NEXT SPEAKER IS DON BROWN, AND THEN BECKY HALPIN.

THANK YOU.

MY NAME IS DON BROWN.

I'M A 35 YEAR RESIDENT OF AUSTIN.

I WORK WITH, UM, TWO NON-PROFITS.

ONE IS THE SECURE OF THE GRID COALITION, WHICH IS A

[00:20:01]

AND WE FOCUS ON THREATS TO THE GRID THAT ARE NOT BEING ADDRESSED BY THE UTILITIES AND, UH, AND FERC AND NERC AND OF THIS, UH, MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT'S I SEE IN OUR, OUR PLAN HERE IN AUSTIN.

AND I'M WORKING SPECIFICALLY ON TEXAS LEGISLATION WITH ERCOT AND THE PUC.

UM, THERE, THERE'S A BIG MISS ON PAGE FOUR OF THE PLAN, THE PLAN THAT WAS SHOWN ON NOVEMBER 15TH.

AND THAT IS, WE'RE NOT THINKING ABOUT THE THREATS TO THE GRID THAT ARE BEYOND WEATHER.

THEY ARE SOLAR WEATHER, THEY'RE EMP, THEY'RE PHYSICAL THREATS AND THEIR CYBER THREATS.

AND THESE ARE VERY REAL THREATS THAT ARE HAPPENING.

AND I DON'T SEE IT IN AUSTIN ENERGY'S PLAN.

IT'S NOT.

THESE ARE, THESE ARE THREATS THAT, UM, ARE BEING ADDRESSED IN OTHER PLACES OF THE COUNTRY.

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY AS PUT IN A, UH, NEUTRAL GROUND BLOCKER THAT HAS, UH, PROTECTING A, A TRANSFORMER THAT'S THE SIZE OF A FOOTBALL FIELD RIGHT NOW, THAT'S BEEN, THAT TECHNOLOGY HAS BEEN OUT IN EXISTING FOR, UH, A DECADE.

UH, IT'S IN PLACE IN THREE DIFFERENT LOCATIONS IN THE UNITED STATES.

TENNESSEE VALLEY AUTHORITY HAS MORE OF THOSE, UH, UNITS ON ORDER.

THOSE STOP THE GROUND.

THE, THE GROUND THAT, UH, CURRENT THAT COMES THROUGH AND DAMAGES TRANSFORMERS, IT ALSO STOPS THE HARMONICS THAT ARE CAUSING DAMAGE TO, UH, TO THE TRANSFORMERS AND TO, UM, THE EQUIPMENT THAT'S DOWNSTREAM FROM THOSE, UH, TRANSMISSION TRANSFORMERS.

THAT'S ONE THREAT.

THE SECOND THREAT IS THE EMP THREAT FROM, UH, FROM, UH, NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS.

AND THOSE THREATS, WHILE WE HAVE TAKEN FOR A LONG TIME FOR GRANTED THE SECURITY OF THE UNITED STATES THAT WE'RE SAFE HERE, WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT OUTSIDE THREATS.

ACTUALLY, THE THREAT IS THERE AND WE SHOULD BE CONCERNED ABOUT IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED IN OUR PLAN.

NOW, THIS TECHNOLOGY IS ALSO IN PLACE.

THEY'VE DONE IT IN CPS ENERGY, UM, WITH, IN INJUNCTION, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BASE IN SAN ANTONIO.

AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, CENTER POINT HAS PUT INTO THE RESILIENCY PLAN DIGITAL SUBSTATIONS THAT PROTECT AGAINST EMP AND THESE SUBSTATIONS COST IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF A OF A MILLION DOLLARS TO PUT 'EM IN.

THAT'S AN UPGRADE.

WHEN YOU'RE COMPARING JUST A NEW SUBSTATION TO THE CURRENT LEGACY SUBSTATIONS, THEY ARE EQUIVALENT IN COST, MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE LESS AND COST.

SO ONE OF THE PROPOSALS WE'RE MAKING TO TEXAS IN THE LEGISLATION IS THAT ALL NEW BUILD OF CAPACITY WILL HAVE EMP PROTECTION AND THEY'LL BE USING DIGITAL, UM, SUBSTATIONS FOR THE THAT PROTECTION.

YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED.

SO IF YOU COULD JUST FINISH YOUR THOUGHT, THANK YOU.

OR, AND YOU CAN SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS IN WRITING.

OKAY.

I CAN DISTRIBUTE THAT.

I'LL, I'LL DO THAT.

YEAH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS, YOU CAN CONTACT ME.

YOU HAVE MY PHONE NUMBER.

THANKS SO MUCH.

NEXT IS BECKY HALPIN.

GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.

I'M BECKY HALPIN AND I REPRESENT THIRD ACT, AN ORGANIZATION OF OLDER PEOPLE WORKING TO ADDRESS THE CLIMATE CRISIS.

THIRD ACT STRONGLY OPPOSES THE ADDITION OF NEW FOSSIL FUEL BURNING GAS SPEAKER PLANTS IN THE PROPOSED RESOURCE PLAN.

LOCAL SOLAR DEMAND RESPONSE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY, AND BATTERIES CAN PROVIDE THE ENERGY WE NEED.

THESE STRATEGIES ARE CLEANER, FASTER, AND WILL LIKELY BE CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN, THE NEW GAS PLANTS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED EXTERNALIZED COSTS.

AND I WOULD SPECIFICALLY LIKE TO CALL OUT THE HEALTH RELATED COST TO THE LOW INCOME COMMUNITIES THAT ARE LOCATED NEXT TO THE AUSTIN ENERGY FACILITIES, WHERE THESE NEW GAS PLANTS WILL BE LOCATED.

WE THINK IT IS LONG PAST TIME TO GIVE THESE COMMUNITIES A BREAK FROM THE CONSTANT AIR POLLUTION THEY HAVE ENDURED FOR DECADES.

THE IDEA THAT NEW P PEAKER PLANTS COULD SOMEHOW CONTRIBUTE TO OUR ABILITY TO CLOSE DOWN FAYETTE COAL PLANT IS A RED HERRING.

IF WE HAD A REASONABLE PLAN TO CLOSE FAYETTE, IT WOULD BE CLOSED.

THE ONLY CLEAR PATH TO GETTING OUT OF PAYETTE IS TO SELL IT FOR AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO LCRA.

AND THAT WOULD ONLY ACCOMPLISH GETTING IT OFF OF OUR BOOKS.

IT WOULD NOT NOW OR EVER ACCOMPLISH OUR GOAL OF STOPPING THE POLLUTANTS AND CARBON IT SPEWS FROM POISONING

[00:25:01]

NEW GAS PLANTS WILL NOT CLOSE AN OLD COAL PLANT.

THEY WILL ONLY CREATE MORE POLLUTANTS.

AND FINALLY, THE IDEA THAT AUSTIN ENERGY CAN DETERMINE ITS ON ITS OWN.

HOW MUCH AND HOW OFTEN PEAKERS WOULD RUN IS ONLY PARTLY TRUE.

IF ERCOT NEEDS OR WANTS THE ENERGY FROM THESE PLANTS, IT CAN TELL AUSTIN ENERGY TO RUN THEM.

REGARDLESS OF AUSTIN ENERGY'S GOALS, NEEDS OR WISHES.

ONCE WE PUT PLANTS ON THE GRID, WE ARE ONLY PARTLY IN CONTROL OF THEM.

AUSTIN ENERGY COULD AND LIKELY WOULD END UP RUNNING THEM MUCH MORE THAN 12% A YEAR.

THE TIME HAS COME TO MOVE INTO THE FUTURE AND LEAVE OUR FOSSIL FUEL BURNING PASSED BEHIND US.

NO NEW GAS PLANTS PLEASE.

AND THANK YOU.

THANK YOU.

OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS AL BRADEN.

UH, THANK YOU.

GOOD EVENING.

GOOD EVENING.

CHAIRMAN TATTLE, EUC MEMBERS AND AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF.

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

THE GENERATION PLAN DRAFT GAVE ME A LOT TO THINK ABOUT.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND.

UM, GETTING TO THIS PLACE HAS BEEN A TWO YEAR, SOMETIMES CONTENTIOUS PROCESS.

LOOKING OVER THE DRAFT, I'M STRUCK BY HOW FAR WE'VE MOVED TOGETHER, AND I INCLUDE AUSTIN ENERGY STAFF FROM THE EARLY SURVEYS TO THE EUC MEETINGS, TO THE WORKING GROUP, TO STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS, TO INTENSIVE FINAL MEETINGS BETWEEN ENGAGED EUC MEMBERS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS DIRECTLY WITH AA STAFF.

WE'VE MOVED FROM A FUTURISTIC GREEN HYDROGEN PLANT TO A DOCUMENT THAT CLEARLY STATES AUSTIN ENERGY WILL LEAD WITH CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

THIS PLAN FOCUSES ON ENERGY EFFICIENCY, DEMAND RESPONSE, ELECTRIFICATION, SMART EV INTEGRATION, AS WELL AS LOCAL SOLAR AND BATTERIES AT EVERY SCALE FROM HOMEOWNER TO UTILITY.

ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN CALLED FOR BY THE EUC, THE WORKING GROUP COUNCIL AND CONCERNED CITIZENS.

WE RETAIN OUR COMMITMENT TO ZERO CARBON BY 2035 WITH 70% RENEWABLES BY 2030.

ADDING CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TRANSMISSION IS A NEW PART OF THE GENERATION PLAN, AS WELL AS DISTRIBUTION AWARENESS AND A SMART SYSTEM-WIDE DEMAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.

WE STILL DO NEED A FULL TASK FORCE TO REIMAGINE AN URGENT AND CONSTRUCTIVE SOLUTION TO FAYETTE, PERHAPS REPLACING ITS POWER WITH SOLAR AND BATTERIES.

THERE'S 6,400 ACRES OUT THERE TO WORK WITH.

IF THESE WORDS HAVE COMMITMENT, THEN THERE'S A LOT TO LIKE IN THIS PLAN.

MANY THINGS ARE ALREADY UNDERWAY.

THAT CALL FOR ACCELERATION, OF COURSE, NO PLAN MAKES EVERYONE HAPPY.

I'M NOT COMMITTED TO THE PEAKERS TO REPLACE THE OLD ONES.

AT DECKER, BATTERIES CAN FILL MOST OF THE PEAK DEMAND SPIKES, WHICH ARE OF SHORT DURATION, LONGER DURATION BATTERIES ARE WITHIN THE TIMEFRAME OF THE PLAN.

I REMAIN OPPOSED TO ANY NEW NUCLEAR UNTIL WE AS A NATION SUMMON THE POLITICAL AND TECHNICAL WILL TO SAFELY DISPOSE OF OUR MASSIVE WASTE PILES.

AND I REMAIN VERY SKEPTICAL OF CARBON CAPTURE SO FAR.

IT'S JUST GREENWASHING IN THE PETRO INDUSTRY.

DESPITE THESE RESERVATIONS, WE HAVE A COMMITMENT TO SUPPLY EVER-GROWING AND PROGRESSIVELY CLEAN, RELIABLE ENERGY TO THE CITIZENS OF AUSTIN.

AUSTIN ENERGY.

SERIOUSLY ENGAGED WITH THE EUC COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY TO DEVELOP A CONSTRUCTIVE DRAFT PLAN.

I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSIONS TONIGHT WITH EUC, THEN TOMORROW NIGHT WITH RMC AND THEN COUNCIL, THE EUC RESOLUTION WILL HELP IMPROVE THE PLAN AND I ASK YOU TO SUPPORT THE EUCS RESOLUTION.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH.

THANK YOU.

THAT IS ALL THE SPEAKERS WE HAVE.

ALRIGHT.

THANK YOU TO ALL THE SPEAKERS.

IS IT, IS THIS ON? YES.

OKAY.

UM, I'D LIKE TO REMIND THE COMMISSION THAT ANY STATEMENT, ACTION OR VOTE, UH, THAT I MAY MAKE WILL NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ANY MATTER RELATED TO THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT.

UH, AND THEY WILL NOT REPRESENT ANY OPINION, UH, OR POSITION THAT I MIGHT HOLD REGARDING THE FAYETTE POWER PLANT.

THANK YOU.

SO NOTED.

ANY OTHER COMMENTS?

[1. Recommend approval of Austin Energy’s Resource, Generation and Climate Protection Plan to 2035, which provides a flexible management framework to meet changing conditions, and strategies for energy needs, generation supply, demand response, energy efficiency, and equity. Funding: This item has no fiscal impact.]

[00:30:01]

SO DO I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND FOR DISCUSSION OF THE PLAN? I THINK LISA CAN PRESENT FIRST AND THEN YOU CAN ASK FOR A MOTION AFTER.

OKAY.

LISA? OH.

ALL RIGHT.

GOOD EVENING, CHAIR, TUTTLE, VICE CHAIR WHITE, AND COMMISSIONERS.

TONIGHT, I AM PLEASED TO PRESENT TO YOU THE DRAFT RESOURCE GENERATION AND CLIMATE PROTECTION PLAN TO 2035.

IT'S A CO COMPREHENSIVE WORK OF COLLABORATION, INNOVATION, AND BALANCE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

WHEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT HOW I WANTED TO PRESENT TO YOU TONIGHT, I DECIDED THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO START THAN TO TALK ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE.

SO WE COLLECTIVELY HAVE A MISSION.

ALL OF US IN THIS ROOM PLAY A PART, AND THAT IS TO PROVIDE CLEAN, AFFORDABLE, RELIABLE ENERGY, AND EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.

IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE ISSUES AND THE CHALLENGES THAT PUT THE PILLARS OF THAT MISSION AT RISK.

WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE OPTIONS TO SOLVE THOSE CHALLENGES AND THE TRADE-OFFS THAT EACH SOLUTION PROVIDES.

WE ARE CHARGED WITH FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE AND SETTING OURSELVES UP TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT TO A CHANGING ENERGY LANDSCAPE.

WE HAVE TO DO THE MOST ENVIRONMENTAL GOOD WHILE REMAINING, RELIABLE AND AFFORDABLE.

WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE PEOPLE WE SERVE COME FROM ALL AREAS OF TOWN, ALL WALKS OF LIFE, ALL TYPES OF BUSINESS, AND WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF THEM ALL FROM AN ELECTRICITY PERSPECTIVE.

AND TO DO THAT REQUIRES LISTENING AND THOUGHTFUL PLANNING.

NEXT SLIDE.

DAVID.

THIS INFOGRAPHIC PROVIDES A SUMMARY OF ALL THE WORK THAT WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED OVER THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF.

WE STARTED IN AUGUST OF 2023, AND WE CONDUCTED A SURVEY THAT HAD OVER 7,500 RESPONDENTS.

WE HELD FIVE STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOPS OVER SIX MONTHS THAT INCORPORATED THE FEEDBACK OF A CROSS SECTION OF 40 DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS.

WE PARTNERED WITH LEADING INDUSTRY EXPERTS AND WE COLLABORATED WITH YOU, THE COMMISSION AND WITH CITY COUNCIL.

AND AS JEN NOTED, ALL OF OUR INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON PUBLIC INPUT.COM/GENERATION.

WE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR TOP PRIORITIES FROM OUR COMMUNITY.

THEY WANT RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY.

AND ENERGY EQUITY IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THROUGHOUT ALL OF THOSE AREAS.

WE LISTENED, WE DRAFTED, WE CHECKED IN AND GOT FEEDBACK.

WE DRAFTED AND REDRAFTED.

WE LISTENED AGAIN, AND THEN WE CAME UP WITH THIS PLAN.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS IS THE COVER OF OUR DRAFT PLAN.

THIS PLAN TALKS ABOUT HOW WE POWER AUSTIN'S CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

IT COMMITS TO THE MOST AGGRESSIVE CLEAN ENERGY GOALS THAT I'VE SEEN.

MOST UTILITIES ARE TARGETING 2050 GOALS, AND MOST OF THOSE ARE CARBON NEUTRAL.

WE ARE CARBON FREE BY 2035.

I ONLY KNOW OF TWO OTHER UTILITIES ON THE WEST COAST THAT HAVE SET SUCH AMBITIOUS GOALS.

WE ARE AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE AMONG THE ELITE IN TERMS OF UTILITIES.

THE PLAN RECOGNIZES THAT THE RISK IS NOW, THERE'S RISK YESTERDAY, AND IT WILL CONTINUE INTO THE FUTURE UNTIL WE TAKE ACTION.

THE PLAN BUILDS OFF OF DECADES OF EXPERIENCE WE HAVE IN CUSTOMER PROGRAMS, AND IT TAKES THEM EVEN FURTHER MOVING SEVERAL LEVELS HIGHER ON THE MATURITY CURVE.

THIS PLAN RECOGNIZES THAT TECHNOLOGY IS EVOLVING AND IT BUILDS UPON A FOUNDATION OF INNOVATION.

THIS PLAN THOUGHTFULLY INCORPORATES THE FEEDBACK FROM ALL OF YOU, FROM THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND FROM CITY COUNCIL.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THE PLAN IS BUILT OFF OF FOUR MAIN CATEGORIES IN OUR TOOLKIT, THE ONES WE DISCUSSED JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO.

AND EACH CATEGORY IS FILLED WITH TOOLS TO HELP US BE THE ELECTRIC UTILITY THAT THE COMMUNITY EXPECTS US TO BE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

OUR PLAN PRIORITIZES CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

WE HAVE GOALS SET TO DO THE MAX POSSIBLE BASED ON THE DNV ENERGY INSIGHTS ANALYSIS.

AND WE WON'T STOP THERE IF CONDITIONS CHANGE AND WE CAN DO MORE.

WE SET A TARGET TO PIVOT FROM MEGAWATT REDUCTION GOALS TO GREENHOUSE GAS AVOIDANCE GOALS IN SUPPORT OF DECARBONIZATION AND ELECTRIFICATION.

WE COMMIT TO PROMOTING A SUITE OF BENEFICIAL ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAMS, AND WE INCLUDE INCENTIVES FOR CUSTOMER SIGHTED BATTERIES AND WORK TO IMPROVE THE CUSTOMER INTERCONNECTION EXPERIENCE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS PLAN RECOGNIZES THAT OUR RISKS ARE UNIQUE AND REQUIRE LOCAL SOLUTIONS.

IT INCLUDES ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLKIT THAT WE CAN USE LOCALLY.

IT INCLUDES TRANSMISSION, IMPORT CAPACITY, LOCAL UTILITY SCALE, SOLAR, LOCAL UTILITY SCALE BATTERIES.

IT USES OUR EXISTING GENERATION AND MORE EFFICIENT NATURAL GAS PEAKER UNITS.

WE HEARD YOU.

WE HEARD THE COMMUNITY.

WE ARE NOT PROPOSING A LARGER, LONGER RUNNING COMBINED CYCLE UNIT.

WE COMMIT TO SMALLER, MORE FLEXIBLE UNITS AND DEVELOPING EMISSION GUARDRAILS.

[00:35:01]

THIS PLAN COMMITS TO MAINTAINING OUR BLACK START UTILITY STATUS.

ALL OF THESE ARE NECESSARY FOR OUR LOCAL SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE THE LOCAL RISK.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS PLAN RECOMMITS TO A CARBON FREE FUTURE.

WE REAFFIRM OUR COMMITMENT TO EXITING COAL.

WE REESTABLISH A RENEWABLE ENERGY GOAL THAT LEAVES ROOM FOR EVOLVING ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGIES, AND WE'LL ADD MORE CLEAN AND RENEWABLE ENERGY ALL ALONG THE WAY.

NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.

THIS PLAN LEANS INTO INNOVATION AND FIGURING OUT WHAT'S AROUND THE CORNER FOR TECHNOLOGY.

IT PROMOTES R AND D PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANT FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES.

IT INCORPORATES NEW INNOVATIVE SOLAR OPPORTUNITIES LIKE SOLAR FOR ALL AND SOLAR STANDARD OFFER.

IT PILOTS GEOTHERMAL GENERATION IN TEXAS.

IT ENHANCES OUR VIRTUAL POWER PLANT PROGRAMS AND CONTINUES ON A PATH TO DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, OR A DERMS. IT SUPPORTS VEHICLE TO X OPPORTUNITIES LIKE V TWO G AND VTA, HOME VEHICLE TO GRID AND VEHICLE TO HOME.

AND IT EXPLORES EVOLVING AND EMERGING TECH LIKE ADVANCED NUCLEAR CARBON CAPTURE AND MORE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

THIS PLAN IS THE BRIDGE TO OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY WILL NOT GET US THERE, BUT WE CANNOT SIT AND WAIT.

THE ISSUES EXIST TODAY, AND WE MUST TAKE ACTION TO CONTINUE TO SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS, AND WE MUST DO IT IN THE MOST RESPONSIBLE WAY.

THE RISKS TO RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY ARE TOO BIG AND TOO REAL TO NOT TAKE A BALANCED AND RESPONSIBLE APPROACH.

THIS PLAN PROVIDES ANSWERS TO THOSE ISSUES.

IT GIVES US THE OUTCOME BASED POLICY THAT ALLOWS THE FLEXIBILITY TO PROPOSE BALANCED AND MEANINGFUL CHANGE.

IT SETS EXPECTATIONS ON THE ORDER OF PRIORITY, AND IT PROVIDES GUARDRAILS TO MINIMIZE UNWANTED OUTCOMES.

IT RECOGNIZES TRADE-OFFS.

IN DOING SO, IT PROVIDES THE CLEANEST ENERGY PORTFOLIO IN TEXAS INDUSTRY LEADING CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS, A PROMOTION OF RELIABILITY, AFFORDABILITY, AND SUSTAINABILITY.

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

IT'S FLEXIBLE AND INNOVATIVE.

IT'S BUILT TO ADAPT TO CHANGING CONDITIONS.

THIS IS OUR PLAN.

IT'S THE COMMUNITY'S PLAN.

IT'S HOW WE'LL POWER OUR CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE.

NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.

I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR THE TIME, EFFORT, AND CONTRIBUTIONS THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN TO GET US TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

AND MY TEAM AND I ARE HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.

ANY QUESTIONS? YES, SIR.

I HAVE A QUESTION, UH, ON THE PLAN.

AND THE, UH, ONE ITEM IS THE, UH, PILOT, UH, GEOTHERMAL GENERATION, UH, ALL OF WHICH IS, AS I'VE SAID BEFORE, IT'S GREAT IF OTHER UTILITIES PILOT THINGS AND WE LEARN FROM THEIR OVERRUNS AND COST MISTAKES.

UH, THIS SEEMS TO SUGGEST THAT, UH, THAT WE WANNA BE IN THAT FIRST GROUP.

UH, IS THERE SOME GRANT FUNDING THAT MAKES THAT POSSIBLE OR WOULD THIS COME FROM RATE PAYERS? SO, UM, YOU'RE SPEAKING ABOUT OUR CULTURE OF INNOVATION, WHICH IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PLAN TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE READY FOR THE EMERGING AND EVOLVING TECHNOLOGY THAT WE NEED TO GET TO OUR CLEAN ENERGY GOALS OF CARBON FREE BY 2035.

UM, THE GEOTHERMAL PROJECT THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS A RATHER SMALL ONE.

WE CHOSE TO DO ONE THAT'S JUST FIVE MEGAWATTS TO JUST SEE IF WE CAN START WITH BREAKING INTO THAT TECHNOLOGY AND SEE WHAT GEOTHERMAL GENERATION CAN DO IN TEXAS.

UM, AND, AND ONLY, UH, IF IT'S A PROVEN TECHNOLOGY, WOULD WE MOVE FORWARD WITH WITH ANYTHING FURTHER THAN THAT.

AND OF COURSE, UH, WE WOULD BE BRINGING THAT FORWARD TO COUNCIL FOR APPROVAL.

UH, I, I RECALL, UH, FORMER PUC COMMISSIONER BARRY SMITHERMAN, UH, TALKING ABOUT A PLANT, UH, ON THE BORDER WHERE IT'S NOT, IF I RECALL, IT'S NOT SO, UH, IT'S WARMER, IT'S NOT HIGH UP AS WE ARE, UH, GEOGRAPHICALLY.

UH, DO YOU HAVE ANY PROJECTED COST EVEN TO DO SUCH A PILOT TO DO THE PILOT PROJECT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE? YEAH.

THE SMALL PILOT.

YEAH, I THINK THAT, I MEAN, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT IN THAT THERE, THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LAND, EXCUSE ME, MATTERS.

AND THIS ONE IS IN EAST TEXAS, RIGHT? THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE, WE RECENTLY HAD A PRESS RELEASE ABOUT AND ANNOUNCED AND WHATNOT.

[00:40:01]

SURE.

HI, GOOD AFTERNOON COMMISSIONERS.

MIKE LANGER, UH, VICE PRESIDENT OF ENERGY AMERICA OPERATIONS AND RESOURCE PLANNING.

UH, YES.

IT, SO IT'S A, IT'S A SMALLER FIVE MEGAWATT GEOTHERMAL PROJECT.

IT'S ADVANCED, UH, GEOTHERMAL JUST TO BE UTILIZING CO2 INSTEAD OF WATER.

UH, WHICH MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT UNIQUE, UH, IN WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.

THEY HAVE BEEN RUNNING A GENERATOR ON CO2 DOWN AT THE SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE IN SAN ANTONIO.

IT'S ABOUT A 10 MEGAWATT.

SO THE TECHNOLOGY IS, IS BEING UTILIZED.

UM, THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO SCALE IT UP, UH, TO A MUCH BIGGER SIZE.

BUT I THINK WE ALWAYS BELIEVE THAT WHEN YOU'RE DOING SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA EXPERIENCE SOME TYPE OF UNFORESEEN CHALLENGE AS WE'D LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE CAN OVERCOME THAT SAFELY AND ECONOMICALLY BEFORE WE DO TRY TO SCALE IT UP.

THIS IS DONE UNDER A POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT, A SHORT TERM POWER PURCHASE AGREEMENT.

UH, WE DO KNOW HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO, TO SPEND MONEY UNTIL THEY'RE ABLE TO PRODUCE POWER.

UM, SO WE'VE TRIED TO MITIGATE OUR, OUR RISK, BUT THE RISK ON THE DEVELOPER, WE'LL TAKE ON THE, THE MARKET RISK.

UH, AND WHILE WE CAN'T DISCLOSE THE THE EXACT PRICE, I WILL TELL YOU IT'S MUCH, MUCH CHEAPER THAN OUR FIRST ENDEAVOR IN, IN SOLAR, UH, WHEN WE WERE SUPPORTING SOLAR IN TEXAS.

UH, A LITTLE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OUR FIRST ENDEAVOR IN WIND WHEN WE'RE SUPPORTING WIND IN TEXAS.

UH, BUT I DO BELIEVE, OR WE DO BELIEVE THAT IF WE CAN SCALE THIS UP AND THIS TECHNOLOGY WORKS, UM, AS WE BELIEVE IT, IT MAY THAT WE WILL BE ABLE TO PUSH THIS DOWN WHERE THE ALL IN COST IS MORE AFFORDABLE THAN, THAN NUCLEAR FOR BASE LOW CARBON FREE GENERATION.

UH, SO WE DO BELIEVE WE'LL BE ABLE TO GET THAT DOWN, UH, FAIRLY CLOSE TO WHERE THE CURRENT FORWARD CURVE IS TRADING FOR SEVEN BY 24 POWER.

THANK YOU.

SURE.

OTHER QUESTIONS ONLINE? OH, SIR.

JONATHAN IO RAUL, ANY QUESTIONS, CYRUS? YEAH.

TWO QUESTIONS.

UM, IN PREVIOUS VERSIONS OF THE PLAN, WE'VE HAD SPECIFIC LANGUAGE AROUND AFFORDABILITY.

UM, I DON'T THINK I SAW THAT IN THIS PLAN.

AND IS THE THINKING THAT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'D TAKE UP SEPARATELY OR, SO AFFORDABILITY IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE CORE VALUES OF THE PLAN, AND THERE'S A, A VALUE STATEMENT ABOUT THAT FROM THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDER GROUP AS WELL AS AN OBJECTIVE STATEMENT IN THE PLAN AS WELL.

OKAY.

BUT WE, UM, I'M TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IN PREVIOUS PLANS, THERE IS SPECIFIC LANGUAGE ABOUT MAINTAINING OUR, UH, YOU KNOW, BEING WITHIN THE LOWER 50%.

I, I DON'T THINK I SAW THAT IN THE PLAN.

SO THE AFFORDABILITY GOALS RIGHT.

THAT WE HAVE FROM COUNCIL DON'T CHANGE.

RIGHT.

OKAY.

UM, HOWEVER, THE OBJECTIVE, ONE OF THE OBJECTIVE STATEMENTS, AGAIN, DEVELOPED WITH THE COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS, UM, SPEAKS TO, UH, THE PERCENTAGE NUMBER AND SPEAKS TO, UM, LIMITING INCREASES FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTED VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES, BUT ALLOWING HIGHER INCREASES THAN 2% FOR OTHERS.

OKAY.

SO IT IS IN THERE.

I'M SORRY, I JUST, IT IS IN THE PLAN.

OKAY.

I JUST MISSED IT.

AND THEN MY SECOND QUESTION IS REALLY IN RESPONSE TO ONE OF OUR COMMENTERS, UM, WHO MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT THE ENERGY EFFICIENCY GOAL.

UM, AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF THERE WAS ANYONE WHO COULD TELL US, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU'VE GOT IN, IN THE, IN THE DRAFT PLAN, YOU HAVE A GOAL TO GET TO 975 DEMAND REDUCTION BY, I GUESS, THE END OF 2027, WHICH IS THREE YEARS EARLIER THAN THE PREVIOUS PLAN.

BUT I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE HERE CAN ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHERE ARE WE NOW AT THE END OF 2024? HOW MANY, YOU KNOW? 'CAUSE THAT'S A CUMULATIVE TOTAL.

SO I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S AMBITIOUS.

IF IT'S NOT AMBITIOUS.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING FROM NOW UNTIL 2027 TO BE ABLE TO ASSESS IT.

YEAH.

AND I, DO YOU HAVE THAT NUMBER OR DOES SOMEONE ON STAFF HAVE THAT NUMBER? I, I DON'T HAVE THE NUMBER, BUT I CAN PULL A STAFF MEMBER IN TO SPEAK ABOUT IT IN A SECOND.

I WAS JUST GOING TO SAY FOR CLARIFICATION, UM, THE, THE GOALS IN THE PLAN LARGELY REFLECT WHAT IS COMING OUT OF THE DNV ENERGY INSIGHTS ANALYSIS.

UM, IN THE CASE OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY, YOU MAY RECALL BACK FROM OUR MODELING DAYS THAT THE NUMBERS THAT DNV CAME IN WERE SLIGHTLY BELOW WHAT OUR NUMBERS WERE.

AND SO WE DIDN'T GO LOWER OUR NUMBERS, WE JUST KEPT OUR MORE AGGRESSIVE GOALS THAT WE HAD ALREADY HAD IN PLACE.

AND SO IN THIS CASE, WE'RE REFLECTING A RECOMMITMENT TO THE GOAL IN THE 2030 PLAN, BUT BRINGING IT FORWARD BY THREE YEARS.

UM, AND THEN WITH THE INTENTION OF TRANSITIONING TO GREENHOUSE GAS AVOIDANCE GOALS IN THE 2027 TIMEFRAME.

SO THAT'S REALLY JUST KIND OF A NICE, NEAT WAY OF SAYING WE'LL ACCOMPLISH THAT GOAL.

WE'LL FINISH IT EARLY, AND THEN WE WILL, UH, TRANSITION TO, UM, THE MORE MATURE GREENHOUSE GAS AVOIDANCE GOAL THAT HELPS US PROMOTE BOTH DECARBONIZATION

[00:45:01]

AT THIS POINT, WE'LL PULL IN, SARAH.

YEAH, I CAN START.

OKAY.

GREAT.

GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

RICHARD GENESEE, VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER ENERGY SOLUTIONS.

I JUST WANTED TO SPEAK SARAH.

UH, NORRIS IS OUR DIRECTOR OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES, AND SHE'S GONNA SPEAK TO THE SPECIFIC NUMBER THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING CIRUS, BUT I JUST WANTED TO START WITH A MORE GENERAL STATEMENT TO CLARIFY THAT AND SUPPORT IN INS ESSENCE WHAT, UH, LISA WAS SAYING TOO.

WE HAVE NOT COMPROMISED, IF ANYTHING, WE HAVE KEPT, UH, ON THE VERY AGGRESSIVE ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND DEMAND RESPONSE GOALS THAT WE HAVE HAD IN PLACE IN PREV IN THE CURRENT PLAN AS IT EXISTS TODAY.

ALL WE'VE DONE IS CLARIFY THE DEFINITIONS OF DEMAND RESPONSE AND ACTUALLY LOCAL SOLAR AS WELL.

AND SO WE, WE BELIEVE THAT THE 9 75 IS ACHIEVABLE, BUT IT IS AGGRESSIVE.

I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND IT IS NOT A RELAXING OF THE GOALS.

IN FACT, IT IS MAINTAINING A VERY AGGRESSIVE GOALS AND PULLING THEM FORWARD, UH, YOU KNOW, TO 2027.

AND WE ARE CURRENTLY ON TRACK, UH, TO BE ABLE TO MEET THIS GOAL.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, WE THINK SETTING AND REALIZING ACHIEVABLE GOALS, UH, IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT REALLY DEFINES THE REST OF HOW THE RESOURCE, UH, PLAN WORKS.

WE CAN'T PUT GOALS OUT THERE THAT WE CAN'T ACHIEVE AND THEN NOT BE ABLE TO FOLLOW THROUGH WITH THE REST OF OUR RESOURCES AND MEET, UH, RELIABILITY, UH, UH, STANDARDS OR, YOU KNOW, RELIABILITY NEEDS.

SO I GUESS I JUST WANTED TO START WITH THAT.

AND THEN I THINK SARAH IS GONNA SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO YOUR QUESTION OF HOW CLOSE ARE WE? BUT I WILL TELL YOU WE'RE ON A TRAJECTORY TO MEET THE GOAL.

SARAH, ARE YOU, UH, ON, AND ARE YOU READY? YES, I'M READY TO BE UNMUTED.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.

UM, GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS.

MY NAME IS SARAH NORRIS, DIRECTOR OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY SERVICES.

UM, AT THE END OF 2024, WE, OUR ENERGY EFFICIENCY NUMBER WAS AT 843.

UM, THAT PUTS THE DELTA, UM, AT AROUND 165.

OOPS, SORRY.

UM, MY MATH WAS A LITTLE BIT WRONG.

UM, THAT PUTS OUR DELTA AT ONE 30.

I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UM, BASED ON OUR ORIGINAL PROJECTIONS, WE WERE TRACKING ACTUALLY TO ONLY GET TO 9 22 BY 2027.

AND SO IN THIS PLAN, WE'RE ACTUALLY ADDING AN ADDITIONAL 50 MEGAWATTS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS.

SO WE DID THAT IN AN EFFORT TO SORT OF SAY, HEY, WE ARE COMMITTED TO AGGRESSIVE PURSUIT OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY GOALS WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LOW HANGING FRUIT OF LIGHTING IS NO LONGER ON THE TABLE.