Des Moines, Iowa — MidAmerican Energy is seeking approval from the Iowa Utilities Commission to build two new electric-producing projects.
MidAmerican spokesman Geoff Greenwood says one is a solar energy project across six sites in Iowa with the goal of producing up to 800 megawatts of power.
They have sites in Mills, Sac and Johnson counties for the solar project, but have not yet identified the other three sites. They are also not revealing the proposed cost of the solar project. The other project is two natural gas-fired combustion turbines in Adair County at a cost of 650 million dollars that will generate 465 megawatts of power
Greenwood says the growth is both residential and from businesses.
Greenwood says the new turbines would be a short-term supplemental power source.
Greenwood says both projects are part of the company’s long-term plan to provide enough electricity to customers. He says the cost to build the projects will be decided in the process with the Iowa Utilities Commission.
MidAmerican is asking for approval of the solar project by August and if approved Greenwood says they would start construction next year and have them operating in 2027. MidAmerican Energy Company, headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa, serves 829 thousand electric customers in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota.
The Highland Wind Energy Center in O’Brien County is MidAmerican Energy’s largest wind farm. It has a capacity of 501.4 megawatts (MW).
In our area, MidAmerican provides both gas and electric service in Sheldon, Archer, Germantown, Calumet, Sutherland, Granville, Newkirk, Hospers, Boyden, Hull, Rock Valley, Doon, Alvord, and Inwood. They also provide electric service only in a number of smaller communities in our area.
