MidAmerican Energy has released more details about a plan to add nearly 450 wind turbines across the state. Construction is underway on the projects around O’Brien, Webster, Grundy, Madison, and Marshall Counties. The company says it has reached an agreement with RPM Access, LLC for the acquisition of the approximate 117-megawatt Macksburg wind project site in Madison County. The Macksburg wind project will be constructed by Mortenson Construction, which is based in Minnesota.
The utility has announced the blades for the expansion will be manufactured by a Siemen’s plant located in Fort Madison. Once completed by the end 2015, MidAmerican officials say the new wind projects will generate enough electricity to power the equivalent of 317-thousand (317,000) Iowa households.
MidAmerican says the wind energy expansion projects will provide more than $3 million in landowner payments each year and more than $360 million in additional property tax revenues over the next 30 years. Construction will take place at no net cost to the company’s customers, and officials say it will help stabilize electric rates over the long term.
Approximately 1,000 construction jobs will be added to Iowa’s economy during the two-year construction period, and approximately 40 new permanent jobs will be added when the expansion is complete.