MidAmerican Energy’s 99-megawatt Victory Wind Project in Iowa is on-line, making it the owner of more wind facilities than any other regulated electric utility in the nation.
The company now owns and operates 459.5 megawatts of wind energy facilities in Iowa.
Said Todd Raba, president of MidAmerican Energy, “What’s more gratifying [thank being a wind leader] is that we haven’t raised our customers’ electric rates to build wind generation. The last electric rate increase MidAmerican Energy customers experienced was in 1995. We’ve promised not to raise our Iowa electric rates through at least 2010, and we don’t have any increases planned for our customers in Illinois or South Dakota.”
The company’s 66 wind turbines at the Victory Wind Project have the capability to generate electricity for approximately 40,000 customers.
The company began building wind projects in 2004, and completed 310.5-megawatt and 50-megawatt wind projects last year. That was in response to a challenge made in 2003 by Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to regulators, business professionals and utility companies in Iowa to work toward achieving 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy in Iowa by 2010. When Gov. Vilsack issued the challenge, 500 megawatts of new renewable energy was needed to achieve the goal. Next year, when MidAmerican completes the 123-megawatt wind project the company is developing near Pomeroy, Iowa, Vilsack’s goal will have been achieved.
MidAmerican Energy Company, Iowa’s largest energy company, provides electric service to 706,000 customers and natural gas service to 687,000 customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.
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