NEW ULM – The New Ulm Public Utilities Commission (PUC) authorized accepting a bid on a new 69kV breaker for the city’s Center Street Substation. This new breaker will replace a 60-year-old oil-filled breaker.

Utility Planning and Development Engineer Dan Pirsig said this was the last of five existing oil-filled breakers on New Ulm’s system. Public Utilities has received a $100,000 grant from Minnesota Grid Resilience for this breaker replacement project. The bid for the new breaker came in at $96,215.

The grant will cover the cost of the breaker, but to meet grant requirements the breaker needs to be installed within the next year. Pirsig said in order to get the equipment in time, the PUC needed to order the breaker now.

Another benefit of ordering the breaker now is that the electrical department could schedule the installation of the new 69kV breaker at the same time they install the new Center Street Substation transformer.

In May, the PUC approved an engineering contract to replace a substation transformer that is currently on order. Pirsig, if the transformer and breaker could be installed at the same time it would mean only shutting off the substation once instead of twice.

PUC president Seth Visser asked if the breaker and transformer being replaced were the same age.

Pirsig said the transformer was actually five years older than the breaker. The 65-year-old transformer has been modified with oil coolers and fans since its initial installation. The transformer is currently working without issues, but due to its age, staff wanted to replace it before there was a problem.

“We got our money out of that transformer,” Pirsig said.

The PUC also approved a grant funding contract to place solar installations on utility buildings.

New Public Utilities has three locations where solar could be installed: the Electrical Distribution Department building, the Natural Gas Department shed and Water Filtration Plant. The cost to place solar installations at all three locations is $185,047.72.

The PUC submitted an application for the “Solar on Public Buildings” grant earlier this month and is waiting to hear back from the state on whether the funding is approved. The PUC could receive 70% of the funding for the project, but Utilities Director Kris Manderfeld said they could also qualify for an additional 30% from a federal elective pay grant.

To qualify for the addition 30% the PUC would need to sign a contract and submit a 10% downpayment to the federal government before Dec. 25.

Manderfeld said because of the tight turnaround in applying for the federal funds, the commissioners were asked to authorized staff to sign contracts once the state has confirmed public utilities would receive the 70% grant from the state.

Commissioner Darrin Buegler made the motion authorizing the City Manager Chris Dalton to sign the contracts for receipt of grant funding pending approval of the application, with a second from Mary Ellen Schanus. It was approved by the commission.