USA - New MidAmerican wind turbines go online

More MidAmerican Energy Company wind turbines are online in Northwest and north central Iowa. The company's Pomeroy Wind Project in Pocahontas County and the Century Project Expansion near Blairsburg in Wr'ght and Hamilton counties have been placed in service.

There are 142 wind turbines at the two projects, bringing the total number of the company's wind turbines in Iowa to 466. When MidAmerican Energy completes its current wind expansion by the end of this year, the company will own 726 w'nd turbines in Iowa which helps solidify the company's No. 1 ranking in the nation in ownership of wind energy generation capacity among regulated utility companies.

The 726 wind turbines will have the capacity to produce approximately 1,124 megawatts of electricity which is enough electricity to power approximately 390,000 homes. When MidAmerican Energy's wind-fueled electric generating capacity is combined with the company's other noncarbon fuel sources, approximately 25 percent of MidAmerican Energy's owned electric generating capacity will come from noncarbon resources at the end of 2008.

MidAmerican Energy began building wind projects in 2004 and has made the investment without raising customers' electric rates. The price of electricity per kilowatt-hour, the electric rate, for MidAmerican customers is lower today than it was in 1995 and the company has committed to keep electric rates stable until at least 2014 which is nearly 20 years without a rate increase. Also, the company does not have any electric rate increases planned for its customers in South Dakota.