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Austin Energy presents overhead distribution resiliency study; consultants recommend reclosers, automation and phased investments
Summary
Consultants for Austin Energy presented a year‑long study of the city’s 5,000 miles of overhead distribution lines on July 17, identifying device placements and a 24‑initiative future state to improve resilience faster and cheaper than full undergrounding.
Austin Energy staff and consultants on July 17 presented an overhead distribution resiliency study that examined the utility’s roughly 5,000 miles of overhead lines and produced a set of feeder‑level device recommendations and a prioritized list of resiliency initiatives.
David Tomcheson, vice president for electric system engineering and technical services at Austin Energy, and Michael Cody of 1898 & Company (the consulting arm of Burns & McDonnell) told the Electric Utility Commission the study was funded through a FEMA BRIC (Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities) grant and took more than a year to complete. The study assessed system standards compliance, asset age, capacity limits, load‑shed capability and the hosting capacity for distributed energy resources.
Key findings and recommendations included: prioritizing replacement of legacy or high‑risk infrastructure (some assets are 40–50…
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