Utility makes deal to sell six generators

• Municipal power plant

Another step was taken this week to turn the city’s closed power plant into an empty shell of a building. Phil Pfuehler photo

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The Utility Commission approved Nov. 1 the high bid to buy all the power-generating engines and accessories inside the local power plant.

The high bidder for $200,000 was from B & T Recycle Services out of Odessa, Tex.

River Falls Municipal Utilities General Manager Carl Gaulke said four legitimate bids were received. Another bid was deemed vague and invalid.

A formal agreement with B & T is expected to be signed later this month.

Gaulke said the company will start hauling away the generators in January. They will be dispersed to various locations, including Canada.

Gaulke said the removal process from the power plant may take a good part of 2012. There’s still no decision on what is to be done once the power plant is empty.

The B & T bid involves purchase of five dual-fuel combustion turbine engines and one unit used as a “black start” when all power has gone out and dual-fuel engines must be restarted from scratch.

The power plant engines being removed are:

--Two Fairbanks Morse engines; three Cooper Bessemer engines; and a General Motors (black start) engine.

Gaulke said that while he would’ve liked a higher bidding price for the power plant equipment, a consultant said the utility would be lucky to break even on any deal.

The local power plant has been in shutdown mode since July. The plant, while still fully functional, has become obsolete and costly.

WPPI, the nonprofit regional energy consortium that River Falls belongs to, is paying the River Falls Municipal Utilities nearly $3 million to compensate for closing power plant operations.

RFMU will still operate two small hydro-generators by the two dams. The water power from the dams generates a fraction of the city’s electrical needs.

Tags: government, energy, wisconsin