Utility Engineer Pirsig presents the 2025 Electric System Reliability Standards and Performance report to the New Ulm Public Utilities Commission on April 28, 2026. The chart shows New Ulm’s System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI) compared with other regional utilities. (Photo by Amy Zents)

NEW ULM — The New Ulm Public Utilities Commission recognized another year for its electric system performance, Tuesday

The council received the 2025 Electric System Reliability Standards and Performance report and later received the American Public Power Association’s Certificate of Excellence in Reliability. This is the six consecutive year public utilities has received this award.

Utilities engineer Dan Pirsig, from the electric distribution department, presented the annual report, which showed the city’s distribution system continues to rank very well regionally on key performance indices despite its small footprint.

“One thing to always remember we’ve got a very small footprint, so one major weather event or something can really throw us into a bad way,” Pirsig said.

As an example, a Feb. 6 outage affected 939 customers and drove much of the year’s interruption statistics.

Wildlife contacts and weather remain the leading causes of disruptions.

Pirsig described the strong results as a team effort, crediting preventive maintenance programs that include winter tree trimming, regular pole testing, and five-year testing cycles for breakers, switches, and relays. Upgrades to transformers and remote terminal units, along with added system redundancy, also contributed to the performance.

Utilities Director Brett Fleck praised the work, saying the reliability report is one of the most important annual updates the board receives because it directly affects every electric customer in New Ulm.

In other business, the commission accepted the Annual Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Interconnection Report presented by energy services representative Derek Nelson.

The report documented continued strong interest in rooftop solar and other customer-generated renewable energy systems.

New Ulm has 37 active DER systems on its grid, collectively generating approximately 406 kilowatts. The largest is a 50 kW system at Broadway Haus, a 40-unit publicly subsidized apartment complex owned and managed by the New Ulm Economic Development Authority (EDA.)

The commission also approved emergency roof repairs at the water treatment plant. RR Construction LLC was authorized to perform the $11,700 project after staff identified urgent issues, including rotting plywood and cracked seals.

Nelson said the repairs are critical to prevent any disruption to water service ahead of spring rains and to ensure the roof remains sound following the recent installation of new solar panels.

Commissioners approved three contracts for rehabilitation work at the Courtland Lift Station. Wastewater Treatment Plant Supervisor Dan O’Connor explained that the nearly 30-year-old station suffered significant deterioration from hydrogen sulfide exposure. The work is part of a larger, roughly $2 million rehabilitation effort.

The approved contracts include $89,275 to R & H Painting, LLC for a liner system, $38,640 to MN Mechanical Solutions Inc. for replacement equipment, and $7,680 to Klassen Incorporated for plumbing services. Commissioner Williams abstained from the plumbing contract vote because of a potential conflict of interest. O’Connor said the projects are essential to maintain the reliability of the wastewater collection system.

Additional infrastructure items approved Tuesday included approximately $92,100 for power plant relay replacement engineering and a new switchgear building at the wastewater plant by ARR Construction. The new building will house equipment away from corrosive environments and allow phased load transfers without disrupting plant operations.

To protect cash reserves and the city’s bond rating, the commission authorized an additional $500,000 interfund loan from the natural gas fund to the water fund. The loan brings the total balance to $1.5 million at 3.72% interest with a four-year repayment schedule. The move was needed to cover unbudgeted capital expenses, including roof repairs, elevator work, and well rehabilitation. Natural gas fund reserves remain strong.

Full staff reports and reliability statistics are available on the city website at cityofnewulm.com.

The next Public Utilities Commission meeting is scheduled for May.