Buffett’s MidAmerican Utility Buys Three Iowa Wind Energy Projects

Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy is announcing it will build three new wind farm plants in five Iowa counties. Ann Thelen, spokeswoman for MidAmerican, says the moves will enhance the company’s wind energy portfolio, adding more than 400 megawatts of wind power.

“We have signed agreements to acquire some of these new wind farm projects,” Thelen says. “For example, we signed an agreement with Clipper Windpower to acquire about 200 megawatts of wind farm projects in Audubon and Guthrie counties and also a 101.2 megawatt wind farm in Adair County.”

Another agreement is with RPM Access for a 103 megawatt wind farm in Marshall and Tama counties. Combined, 176 new wind turbines will reach into the sky with the wind farm projects. There will also be expansion at the existing Rolling Hills wind farm, which covers parts of Adair, Adams and Cass counties.

“When the 2012 wind farm projects are complete, approximately 29% of our total generation capacity will be powered by wind energy,” Thelen says.

Thelen says, “We started building wind farm projects in 2004, so when we have these 2012 wind farm projects complete and we have that approximately 29% of our total capacity from wind energy, we will have invested approximately four-billion dollars in the state of Iowa for our wind power generation projects.”

She says MidAmerican will again be working with Seimens Energy to manufacture the wind turbines at its facility in Fort Madison. Adair, Adams, Audubon, Cass and Guthrie counties are clustered in southwest Iowa while Marshall and Tama counties are in the east-central region.

www.midamericanenergy.com/