City considering capital projects, private development as sites for underground power lines

Austin Energy and various city departments are studying how to bury selected sections of overhead power lines underground to reduce the impact of extreme weather disasters. The burying of lines, which in many cases also serve equipment for private communications companies or other utilities, is one of the solutions suggested after the February winter storm that caused widespread power outages that lasted more than a week in some areas.

A pair of recent memos from Bob Kahn, general manager of Austin Energy, detail the steps the utility and a number of city department heads are taking related to a pair of City Council resolutions seeking information about the possibility of burying power lines to protect them from ice accumulation, high winds and downed trees.

The Capital Delivery Services Department appears ready to add a step to confer with all city departments on a “dig-once” concept that will lead to placing lines underground more often on large capital projects. CDS has also started work to define the scope, cost and timelines for putting underground power lines on those projects as part of the initial design and budgeting phase. Projects currently well underway may not have that feature without causing delays or unexpected costs.

CDS also plans to work with the Project Connect office and Austin Transit Partnership to identify areas where underground lines can be incorporated as part of the construction of the upcoming light rail system through downtown. The memo notes there are likely to be areas where that isn’t possible: “Project Connect Light Rail is not seen as an ideal candidate for a pilot project due to the added complexity of the addition of light rail to the existing ROW space. That is, the ‘utility free’ areas needed to accommodate the light rail infrastructure result in a net loss of ROW space available for underground utilities.”

By the end of this year, CDS will also identify initial pilot areas or projects to begin burying power lines. That list will then be forwarded to Austin Energy to determine feasibility.

Austin Energy has started discussions with private utility companies involved in using local power lines to inform them and coordinate the city’s plans for burying power lines. Those talks also include learning from other utilities that have already prioritized burying their power lines.

Austin Energy has also completed a request for offers as part of finding a consultant to create a long-term plan for moving overhead lines underground. The draft report is expected to be available next summer.

On the development front, city departments are currently discussing how to include underground lines in more new construction projects throughout the city. The consulting firm McKinsey & Company has included the power lines question as part of its recent analysis of the city’s development review process.

There is still uncertainty over how proposed development fees or offsets would encourage private developers to include underground lines on their projects, with one of the memos noting: “Further fee assessment may be warranted based on the results of the feasibility study and potential proposed city code options. The Transportation and Public Works department, in coordination with the Law Department, has determined that under State law, the Street Impact Fee cannot be used for undergrounding electrical utilities.”

Once the outside consultant completes the feasibility study next year, the Development Services Department, Planning Department and Austin Energy will work together to recommend amendments to the Land Development Code related to underground utility infrastructure.

During a discussion on resilience at a recent Urban Land Institute Austin gathering, Danny Ee, Austin Energy director of smart grid and systems operations, said cost and logistics were the two major obstacles to moving the majority of the city’s power lines underground.

Photo made available through a Creative Commons license.

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