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Willmar Municipal Utilities' two wind turbines — after being plagued throughout 2023 with issues that impeded the generation of power — have had two successful months in a row.
General Manager John Harren said if Willmar Municipal Utilities had to rely on outside resources to keep the turbines running, it is likely they would no longer be functioning. Willmar Municipal Utilities is consistently monitoring the cost of power generated by the turbines, which is currently around 16 to 17 cents per kilowatt-hour. A major contributing factor regarding when to discontinue the use of the turbines is when the power generated by them begins to cost more than buying power from the Missouri River Energy Services.
The two wind turbines owned by Willmar Municipal Utilities continue to have maintenance and repair issues that keep them from generating the amount of power that is expected. If things don't improve, their use may be discontinued after this year.
A repairman was able to fix the breakers in each Willmar turbine to get them running, but only one continued to run and produce power in April, according to Willmar Municipal Utilities Facilities and Maintenance Supervisor Kevin Marti.