Austin Energy Enters the Next Phase of Decarbonization

About this episode

The episode discusses Austin Energy's aggressive decarbonization targets and resource planning strategies with its leadership.

Austin Energy’s power generation hit the 65 percent carbon-free level in 2024, and the municipal utility is targeting 100 percent carbon-free load by 2035, one of the most aggressive clean energy targets of any utility in Texas. Austin Energy is one of the largest municipally owned utilities in the country and one of the few vertically integrated utilities operating inside ERCOT’s deregulated market. As the utility plans for load growth and rising ERCOT market exposure, it is also preparing the community to weigh the trade-offs that entails. In this episode, Joshua Rhodes speaks with Stuart Reilly, general manager of Austin Energy, and Lisa Martin, the utility’s chief operating officer. Reilly and Martin walk through how the muni model shapes new load evaluation, renewable contract structure, and community engagement. They describe a resource plan that combines local generation with utility-scale batteries, distributed energy deals, transmission upgrades, and demand response. Joshua, Stuart, and Lisa discuss topics including: * What it means to operate as a vertically integrated muni inside ERCOT’s competitive market. * The 500 megawatts of plausible new load Austin Energy is…

People in this episode

Host: Joshua Rhodes

Guests: Stuart Reilly, Lisa Martin

Topics covered

• decarbonization
• renewable energy
• municipal utilities
• energy market
• community engagement
• resource planning

Keywords

• carbon-free
• load growth
• renewable contracts
• battery storage
• energy procurement
• demand response

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Austin Energy, ERCOT, Jupiter Power

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