Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corp., has acquired a 300 MW wind farm in north-central Iowa from Iowa Winds LLC. The wind farm is adjacent to a 200 MW wind farm IPL acquired from Wind Capital Group LLC in November 2007.
The Whispering Willow Wind Farm, which consists of the two recent site acquisitions, has the potential to produce up to 500 MW of emissions-free energy. IPL currently anticipates developing 200 MW of wind power on the site beginning in 2009.
IPL expects the first 200 MW to be commercially operable in 2010. According to IPL, the utility will still have the ability to develop up to an additional 300 MW of potential wind power on the site. A decision regarding the development of the wind farm's additional 300 MW has not yet been made.
‘The Whispering Willow Wind Farm aligns squarely with Governor Culver's vision that 25 percent of all the energy produced in Iowa comes from renewable sources by 2025,’ says Kim Zuhlke, vice president of new energy resources for Alliant Energy.
