MidAmerican Energy announces Grundy County Wind Farm

The Ivester wind farm includes 35 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines. It’s part of MidAmerican Energy’s Wind XI project, which the company announced in 2016. When completed at the end of this year, Ivester will add 91 megawatts of wind generation capacity for MidAmerican Energy customers, or enough wind energy to power more than 38,000 average Iowa homes.

The wind farm will add approximately $875,000 in estimated average annual property taxes in Grundy County, in addition to construction, long-term operations and maintenance jobs.

“This is an exciting year for MidAmerican Energy, as the Ivester wind farm is our latest addition that will help us increase wind generating capacity for our customers,” Mike Fehr, MidAmerican Energy vice president of resource development, said.

Wind XI project

The $3.6 billion Wind XI project is scheduled for completion in December 2019. The project will include up to 1,000 wind turbines and add up to 2,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity in Iowa, or enough energy to power more than 840,000 average Iowa homes.

MidAmerican Energy previously announced construction of two Wind XI wind farm projects now underway in Adair County – Arbor Hill and Orient. Beaver Creek II in Greene County, and North English in Poweshiek County, are also under construction. Two additional wind farms, Beaver Creek in Boone and Greene counties, and Prairie in Mahaska County, are now operating.

Wind XII project

On May 30, MidAmerican Energy announced plans to be the first investor-owned electric utility in the nation to generate renewable energy equal to 100 percent of its customers’ usage on an annual basis, upon completing its newest proposed wind energy project. The company expects to complete the project, called Wind XII, in late 2020. Wind XII is subject to Iowa Utilities Board approval.

Wind energy economic benefits

In 2017, MidAmerican Energy paid $19.6 million in Iowa property taxes on its wind farms. These annual payments are in addition to the economic benefits associated with wind energy construction, operations and maintenance jobs in rural areas, wind industry manufacturing jobs, landowner easement payments and renewable energy’s impact in attracting new businesses to the state.