Austin Energy is the nation’s 9th largest community-owned electric utility. They serve 388,000 customers and a population of more than 900,000, providing service within the City of Austin, Travis County, and a portion of Williamson County.
BACKGROUND
Learn more about Austin’s demand for electricity, the power plants that produce the city’s electricity and the role Austin plays within Texas’ electricity grid by watching the following videos.
Austin's Demand for Electricity
Austin's Power Plants
Austin is Part of Texas' Grid
THE_GENERATION PLAN
There have been four formal recommendations made by Austin Energy and official advisory groups: 1) Austin Energy’s recommendation, 2) the Generation Planning Task Force recommendation, 3) the Electric Utility Commission’s recommendation, and 4) the Resource Management Commission’s recommendation.
Austin Energy administrators revealed their plan for our city’s energy future. In a memo to Mayor Lee Leffingwell and members of City Council on August 17, General Manager Roger Duncan describes the utility’s “Recommendation for the Resource and Climate Protection Plan” as a “a bold and achievable enhancement to City Council’s strategic guidance to the utility,” which would help Austin meet new challenges and seize new opportunities. Notably, Austin Energy recommends energy efficiency as the number one priority in meeting new demand and adds more wind and solar capacity than originally planned. However, the utility also recommends a continued dependence on coal-power with no end in sight. Download the document here.
Austin Energy’s process to develop a master plan for what sources will supply the city’s electricity through 2020 continues. Citizens may still participate in the Austin Energy process and provide public input through an upcoming town hall meeting on September 1.
Summary of Alternatives
As part of the research effort, Austin Energy commissioned PACE Consulting to model different generation scenarios in addition to a “straw man” based on the utility’s own Draft Generation Plan. These models include a forecast that involves the Pecan Street Project and another that determines the lowest cost option. (The full report is available on the Austin Smart Energy website.
THE DECISION MAKERS
The following groups guide and decide Austin’s energy policy. Click on the the links to find out more about the them.
City Council
Austin has a seven member City Council, led by the Mayor, which serves as the Board of Directors of Austin Energy. They are the ultimate decision-makers for utility policies. View council members’ positions on energy policy when they ran for office prior to the election on May 9, 2009.
The Administrators
Austin Energy staff are managing the day-to-day affairs of our city’s electric utility. In addition, they are preparing a final recommendation for City Council on Austin’s energy future.
Advisory Groups
The Electric Utility Commission (EUC), the Resource Management Commission (RMC), and the newly founded Generation Resource Planning Task Force provide varying degrees of input to Austin Energy. EUC-Chairman Phillip Schmandt describes the work of the Electric Utility Commission during the following PowerSmack-Interview and explains, why the advisory group could benefit from more public input.
Austin Energy is expected to make a final recommendation on their preferred Generation Master Plan on August 20, 2009. There is expected to be an opportunity for the public to comment on the plan at a City Council workshop on October 15. Final action by City Council currently expected in October. (Per information shared at the Generation Planning Task Force on July 15)