Renewable

January 20 (Renewables Now) - US electricity and natural gas utility MidAmerican Energy Co, part of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.A), on Wednesday unveiled plans to deploy 2.1 GW of wind and solar power capacity in Iowa under a USD-3.9-billion (EUR 3.4bn) project.

The company said on Wednesday it has submitted an application with the Iowa Utilities Board, seeking a determination on the ratemaking principles that would apply to its project. It has requested a review on the matter to be carried out by October 31, 2022.

Dubbed Wind PRIME, the scheme calls for the installation of 2,042 MW of wind and 50 MW of solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. MidAmerican estimates that this capacity will enable it to cover 111% of the annual electricity needs of its customers with renewable energy.

If the project is approved, its construction is expected to be completed in late 2024. Over 1,100 jobs are set to be created during the building works phase and 125 jobs will be opened for operations and maintenance.

As part of Wind PRIME, MidAmerican is also proposing to conduct feasibility studies on other clean generation technologies, including carbon capture, energy storage and small modular nuclear reactors. The company noted it has poured some USD 14 billion into renewable energy projects in Iowa since 2004. Wind PRIME will be its 13th renewable scheme.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.881)

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