The Austin City Council approved a contract extension that will add up to $28 million in funding for tree trimming and vegetation management around Austin Energy electrical distribution lines through the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the Texas public power utility said on March 7.
Funding on the current contracts has depleted more quickly than expected due to contract rate adjustments and multiple weather events, the utility noted.
The contract extension involves the utility’s three primary tree trimming partners: Asplundh Tree Expert LLC, Davey Tree Surgery Co., and Wright Tree Service, Inc.
“The additional funding aids Austin Energy’s efforts at ensuring the public’s safety, reducing wildfire risk and protecting the utility’s infrastructure and ability to serve customers,” it said.
“Austin Energy greatly appreciates the City Council’s continued support of the utility’s tree trimming efforts,” said Elton Richards, Austin Energy Vice President of Electrical System Field Operations. “We’ve added additional crews within the initial budget to ensure that we meet our timeline commitments and increase reliability for our community.”
By the end of 2028, the goal is to have all 305 Austin Energy circuits back to industry tree trimming standards and a new plan in place for a five-year maintenance cycle. One circuit can run anywhere from under a mile to nearly 40 miles of vegetation.
Austin Energy’s vegetation management team works to keep approximately 5,000 miles of overhead line clear all throughout our 437-square-mile service area.
“Keeping clearances leads to fewer fires and outages, so this is critical to keep the community charged up and safe. It’s important work, but it’s not always clear-cut. Crews often have to balance labor shortages, a thorough customer communication process and complicated trimming windows that take oak wilt and bird habitat into consideration,” Austin Energy said.
This past year, Austin Energy crews trimmed 27 circuits, the most it has been able to clear in two years. That ended up being around 180 miles of line trimmed.
