Des Moines, Iowa-based MidAmerican Energy Co. says construction will begin this month on the 90.8 MW Ivester wind farm, located in west-central Grundy County, Iowa.
The Ivester wind farm, which includes 35 Siemens Gamesa turbines, is part of MidAmerican Energy’s Wind XI project, which the company announced in 2016.
When completed at the end of this year, Ivester will provide enough wind energy to power more than 38,000 average Iowa homes, estimates MidAmerican. The wind farm will also add approximately $875,000 in estimated average annual property taxes in Grundy County, in addition to construction and long-term operations and maintenance jobs. In 2017, MidAmerican Energy paid $19.6 million in Iowa property taxes on its wind farms, the company notes.
“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,” says Mike Fehr, MidAmerican Energy’s vice president of resource development.
The $3.6 billion Wind XI project is scheduled for completion in December 2019. The project will include up to 1,000 wind turbines and add up to 2 GW of wind generation capacity in Iowa, or enough energy to power more than 840,000 average Iowa homes.
MidAmerican Energy previously announced construction of two Wind XI wind farm projects now underway in Adair County – Arbor Hill and Orient. Beaver Creek II in Greene County and North English in Poweshiek County are also currently under construction. Two additional wind farms, Beaver Creek in Boone and Greene counties and Prairie in Mahaska County, are now operating.
