MidAmerican Energy to upgrade older wind turbines throughout Iowa

MidAmerican Energy Company recently announced that it will upgrade hundreds of aging wind turbines and add additional wind energy sources through a definitive agreement with GE in order to bring cost savings to its Iowa-based customers.

The announcement follows a decision from the Iowa Utilities Board to allow MidAmerican to repower portions of its older wind fleet for more efficient energy generation.

“Repowering our older wind turbines brings us closer to achieving that vision in a way that provides both economic and environmental benefits to our customers and the state of Iowa,” MidAmerican President and CEO Bill Fehrman said. “In 2021 when both our repowering and Wind XI projects are complete, we expect to generate renewable energy equal to 95% of our Iowa retail customers’ annual use.”

The upgrades will include retrofitting older turbines with longer blades and components to extend the lives of each unit. According to MidAmerican, the project will reduce costs associated with generating electricity from other sources, which will help keep costs low and stable for the company’s Iowa customers.

Turbines will first be upgraded at the Century Wind Farm in Wright and Hamilton counties and the Intrepid Wind Farm in Buena Vista and Sac counties throughout the rest of 2017. MidAmerican said additional work sites and schedules will be announced at a later date.