City staff outline repair, replacement and decommission options for Wind Turbine 1

Eric, the staff presenter on energy assets, told the council Wind Turbine 1 is 17 years old with a nominal 20-year life expectancy and listed urgent components to inspect or replace — pitch system and blade bearings, yaw motors, braking system, converters and cabling — and said technicians for older models are increasingly scarce. He emphasized supply-chain and customs issues for overseas parts and urged a careful assessment before committing to a generator replacement or repower.

"It's $3,040,000 dollars to move a crane just to mobilize," Eric said when describing major lift costs in a replacement scenario. He also told the council the city received $1,016,000 from Chubb Insurance for the recent claim (with a $100,000 deductible) and is awaiting business-interruption/extra-expense proceeds (about $50,000 shown). Eric cited a presentation figure of "3,000,000 kilowatts, roughly" as the turbine's annual energy production and noted annual revenue at 12¢ per kilowatt as $420,000, while explaining that replacing lost generation from MISO would increase purchases by approximately $150,000 per year. Councilors asked about decommissioning, foundation depth (discussed as 40 feet), blade-bearing pricing (quoted at $30,000–$40,000) and whether a solar replacement is feasible on the same footprint; Eric said some solar could be added but land topography and seasonal sun angles limit yield. The council directed staff to return with refined cost estimates and vendor quotes.