MidAmerican unveils 591-MW wind project in Iowa

US electricity and natural gas utility MidAmerican Energy Co on Wednesday announced plans for a 591-MW wind project in Iowa, dubbed Wind XII, entailing investment of USD 922 million (EUR 791m).

The project has been submitted to the Iowa Utilities Board for review and, if approved, is expected to be completed at the end of 2020. The exact locations where the capacity will be installed is still not known. According to the statement, MidAmerican is now exploring potential sites in Iowa and will make further announcements with locations before constructing each portion of the complex.

The scheme, together with the 2-GW Wind XI project, will help the company become the first investor-owned electric utility in the US that will produce renewables electricity equal to the entire consumption of the clients within its Iowa service area on an annual basis.

Wind XII is anticipated to create over 300 full-time jobs during the construction phase and another 28 full-time positions related to the plant’s operations and maintenance.

MidAmerican, which is owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc (NYSE:BRK.A), is currently installing wind parks as part of its 2-GW Wind XI project in Iowa. This complex will see the installation of 1,000 turbines across Iowa and is expected to be fully operational in December 2019, in line with the utility’s 100% renewable energy objective by 2020.

(USD 1.0 = EUR 0.858)

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