Iowa – MidAmerican Energy wind towers

The Iowa Utilities Board has given MidAmerican Energy the green light for the utility’s plans for a $3.6 billion wind energy investment, the largest renewable energy project in the state.

The state board on Friday gave final approval for the utility’s Wind XI farm.

The project — first announced in April — is part of Des Moines-based MidAmerican’s goal to reach 100 percent renewable energy for Iowa customers.

“We are finalizing plans to begin construction of the 1,000 wind turbines, with completion expected by the end of 2019,” MidAmerican spokeswoman Ashton Hockman said in an email Monday. “Wind XI will add up to 2,000 megawatts of wind generation in Iowa and is the largest wind project MidAmerican Energy has ever undertaken.”

Hockman said Wind XI will include multiple sites across Iowa, but exact locations are still being finalized. Those sites will be brought into service over a three-year period, from 2017 through 2019, she added.

The entire cost of the project planned to be recouped through federal production tax credits over 10 years, so the company is not seeking […]