Iowa’s 2 Gigawatt Wind XI Project Continues Development
MidAmerican Energy’s breathtaking 2 gigawatt (GW) Wind XI project continues to roll out across Iowa with several new announcements confirming another 341 megawatts (MW) worth of capacity across the Arbor Hill and Ivester wind farms.
Beaver Creek wind farm, a Wind XI wind farm built by Mortensen for MidAmerican Energy
Earlier this month MidAmerican Energy — an Iowa-based energy company servicing parts of Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska — announced the 91 MW Ivester wind farm set to be developed in west-central Grundy County, Iowa. The project, yet another to be added to the growing 2 GW Wind XI development, will consist of 35 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines, generating electricity for the equivalent of approximately 38,000 homes.
“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.
US-based developer Mortenson said on Tuesday that it has been selected to build both the 91 MW Ivester wind farm as well as the 250 MW Arbor Hill wind farm which was announced earlier this year (alongside the 300 MW Orient wind farm). MidAmerican Energy announced the two projects in May, both of which will be built using wind turbines provided by Vestas Wind Systems.
“We continue to have a strong relationship with MidAmerican Energy and look forward to helping them reach their goal of serving their customers’ electricity demand with 100 percent renewable energy,” said Tim Maag, vice president and general manager for Mortenson’s Wind Energy Group. “It’s an exciting time to be a part of Iowa’s wind energy revolution.”
Mortensen has already partnered with MidAmerican before, and the two new wind farm contracts will be the 16th and 17th wind farms the company has built for MidAmerican Energy. Upon completion, Mortensen will have installed approximately 3 GW worth of wind energy for MidAmerican Energy, and over 4 GW in Iowa over the past 23 years.
MidAmerican Energy announced in late-May that it intends to be the first investor-owned electric utility in the United States to generate renewable energy equal to 100% of its customers’ usage each year thanks in part to the newly announced Wind XII — a 591 MW, $922 million wind project it has put before the Iowa Utilities Board and could be completed by late 2020.
“Wind XII will transform our 100 percent renewable energy vision from a bold dream into a reality,” explained Adam Wright, MidAmerican Energy’s President and CEO. “We are listening and working with our customers to put them first. Wind XII is a clear demonstration of our commitment to and investment in the cleaner, more sustainable energy future our customers want and our environment deserves. We have been able to invest in renewables while at the same time keeping electric rates affordable for the long term, creating a one-of-a-kind win-win solution.”
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