MMU generator plant nears completion

MARSHALL -- Construction of a new electrical generator plant for Marshall Municipal Utilities made a lot of progress over the summer.

Work on the generator project is nearing completion, said MMU Electric Operations Manager Tony Mead.

"Things have been going well," Mead said. "The project is 90 to 95% complete right now."

Some of the final steps left in the project will include connecting wiring, fuel coolant and exhaust systems to four new generators. The new generators will be able to help provide emergency power in Marshall. They will replace the city's nearly 60-year-old backup generator.

MMU broke ground for a new city generator facility in 2024, on land near MMU's city water plant. The roughly $18 million project will not have an impact on MMU’s rate-payers, Mead said. An incentive program from MMU’s electrical provider, Missouri River Energy Services, and the income MMU gets from making the new generators available to MRES, will help pay for the cost of construction.

The new generators were delivered in July, Mead said. While MMU faced delays in receiving some of the components of the project, the generators arrived two months ahead of schedule, he said.

"We were rather fortunate to get started on this process when we did," Mead said.

Lead times and costs have gone up since the project was approved in 2024.

"Each of the four generators were delivered separately," after being received and tested by Ziegler CAT in Shakopee, he said.

The process of installing each generator involved lifting it off of a trailer and loading it onto a hydraulic dolly system. The dolly system was then driven into the plant building, where the generator was maneuvered into position. Mead said that took about three hours for each of the four generators.

"All four sit in a row inside that building, on slightly elevated concrete pads," Mead said.

Mead said the generators are expected to be fully operational by the end of the year. The new generators will be able to provide a total of 12 megawatts of electricity in situations like extreme weather emergencies, or during periods of high demand on the regional electrical grid.

The new generators will replace a 14.5-megawatt generator that dates back to 1968. The older generator is located outside MMU's facilities near the corner of Fourth and Saratoga Streets in Marshall.