The City of Brainerd acquired a century-old hydroelectric dam on the Mississippi River to provide residents with a renewable energy source. BPU commissioned Barr to assist in evaluating the Brainerd Hydroelectric Project, then owned by Wausau Paper, before making a potential purchase offer. Within a timeframe of one month, Barr completed a condition assessment of the hydropower facility to assess its structural integrity, remaining life, and functional adequacy.
Upon its decision to purchase the project, BPU again turned to Barr to provide a more detailed due-diligence evaluation before the final sale. Based on our original evaluation of the dam, we performed a risk assessment to strategically address the most critical issues, with a focus on minimizing BPU’s risk for future unforeseen costs and liabilities. Guided by the risk assessment, Barr developed a pro forma to estimate the existing facility’s value, providing BPU with the information necessary to reduce the purchase price by more than $1.5 million.