DES MOINES — In a news release, MidAmerican Energy plans to build new wind farms in Boone, Greene and Mahaska counties in Iowa. The two new wind farms will be the first Wind XI project sites selected for construction.

MidAmerican Energy plans to begin construction in April on the Beaver Creek wind project in Boone and Greene counties and the Prairie wind project in Mahaska County, with completion scheduled for the end of 2017. According to the release, the wind farms are part of MidAmerican
Energy’s Wind XI project and will add 338 megawatts of new wind generation capacity in Iowa: the Beaver Creek wind project will consist of 85
turbines, which will add 170 megawatts of wind generation capacity and the Prairie wind project will have 84 turbines and add 168 megawatts of
wind generation capacity.

MidAmerican Energy announced plans in April 2016 to invest $3.6 billion for the Wind XI project. It is the largest economic development investment in Iowa’s history. The project calls for the construction of 1,000 wind turbines that will add 2,000 megawatts of wind generation capacity in Iowa.

The company is working with developers, county officials and landowners at potential wind farm sites in other Iowa counties for the balance of the Wind XI project, according to the news release. Construction on these projects would start in 2018 and 2019, and sites will be announced at a later date. Construction on the entire Wind XI project is expected to be complete by December 2019.

“MidAmerican Energy is not asking for an increase in customer rates or financial assistance from the state to pay for the Wind XI project,” said Bill Fehrman, president and CEO of MidAmerican Energy via news release. “For our customers, the benefits of Wind XI are very clear: clean energy produced right here in Iowa, using an abundant natural resource. We believe the best way to meet the energy needs of our customers is to provide safe, reliable, affordable and environmentally responsible energy.”

The Wind XI project is expected to produce $1.2 billion in economic benefits for Iowa communities as a result of landowner easements and property tax payments over the next 40 years. Additionally, during construction thousands of jobs are expected to be added to Iowa’s economy and hundreds
of new permanent jobs will be added when the expansion is complete.According to the news

According to the news release, with its investment in the Wind XI project, MidAmerican Energy’s wind generation each year will be equal to 85 percent of the energy used by our retail customers in Iowa, bringing us within striking distance of our 100 percent renewable energy vision.