GE Renewable Energy and Alliant Energy have announced two new Iowa wind farms totaling 470 MW of capacity.
The English Farms and Upland Prairie wind farms, totaling 170 MW and 300 MW, respectively, will be owned and operated by Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company and provide renewable electricity to its customers in Iowa. This is part of a broader plan by Alliant Energy to install up to 1 GW of wind in Iowa by the end of 2020.
Both wind farms will be equipped with a total of 190 GE 2 MW platforms, adding to the 2,300 GE 2 MW turbines already running in North America. These include the 2.3-116, the 2.5-116 and GE’s newly introduced 2.5-127 turbine.
“Both projects will provide power for the equivalent of 180,000 homes in Iowa,” notes Vikas Anand, general manager for GE’s onshore wind business in the Americas.
The Upland Prairie site, with 121 turbines planned, will be the largest individual wind farm developed by Alliant Energy. Located between Clay and Dickinson counties, it is expected to be commissioned in late 2018 and early 2019. The English Farms site, located in the Poweshiek County, will comprise 69 turbines and will be commissioned in early 2019.
Terry Kouba, Alliant Energy’s vice president of operations in Iowa, says, “This cutting-edge technology will help us advance cost-effective clean energy for our customers. As we add more wind energy, we’re working to keep Iowa a leader in renewable energy.”
Separately, GE Renewable Energy announced it has reached 40 GW of onshore wind capacity in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S. alone, the company has commissioned 38 GW of wind capacity over 15 years.
“We are committed to the North American wind market, as evidenced by this latest 40 GW milestone,” says Pete McCabe, president and CEO of GE’s onshore wind business. “We win when customers win. We’re bullish on the future of wind in North America and look forward to continuing to provide customers with state-of-the-art technology and service offerings that enable us to enhance performance through the full life cycle of their wind farms.”
