Willmar Municipal Utilities recognized for electric reliability
was recognized nationally by the American Public Power Association for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2024.
"We are proud to receive this recognition. It is a testament to the hard work of all our staff to ensure that we keep Willmar powered," said Jeron Smith, general manager of Willmar Municipal Utilities, in an April 2 news release from the association that was included in the packet of meeting materials for the Utilities Commission.
During Monday's meeting, Smith noted that only utilities in the top 25% receive the certificate of recognition and thanked staff for their hard work.
A graphic included in the news release shows that Willmar Municipal Utilities only had 34 minutes of electric outage in 2024 and the average of all the electric utilities in the United States is 149 minutes per year.
The American Public Power Association is a trade group that represents more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities. It helps electric utilities track power outage and restoration data through its subscription-based eReliability Tracker service, according to the news release.
The association's reliability team compares this data annually to national statistics tracked by the U.S. Energy Information Administration for all types of electric utilities.
"Year after year, data consistently demonstrate public power utilities provide highly reliable service." said American Public Power Association Director of Research and Development Paul Zummo. "The utilities recognized here are truly elite when it comes to keeping the lights on. Their communities should be proud of the hard work and dedication of their local power providers as they earn this truly deserved recognition."
Nationwide, the average public power customer has their lights out for less than half the amount of time that customers of other types of utilities do.
For more information on Willmar Municipal Utilities and its commitment to reliability, visit
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