Brainerd utility reports strong 2024 reliability and outlines renewables data

Brainerd’s utility staff told the commission that the utility’s 2024 reliability benchmarks show high performance and that monthly or annual renewables/load comparisons could become routine reporting.

Operations manager Trent presented a benchmark covering Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2024. “Our major event threshold [is] just under 42 minutes, which means that on average all of our outages are restored within 42 minutes,” Trent said, adding that the system reliability metric came in at 99.981%.

Trent said the data show that if the reliability percentage is spread across the distribution system, each customer would experience approximately one outage per year lasting less than an hour. He suggested posting the benchmark report on the utility’s website and sharing the data with large commercial customers who request it.

In a separate presentation on renewables, Trent compared solar and hydro output to system load using July 2025 data and recommended the commission consider monthly or annual reporting so commissioners and legislators can see how renewables contribute to peak shaving and load management. Commissioners responded positively to the visualization and asked staff to consider adding investment cost or return-on-investment comparisons for future reports.

Trent also reported operational activity unrelated to the benchmark: staff repaired an abandoned water line on Washington Street overnight and thanked crews for extended work hours.

The commission did not take formal action on the report; staff said they would return with additional materials if the commission requested further analysis or regular reporting.