MidAmerican Energy Company today announced plans to build Wind XI, a project it said will add up to 2,000 megawatts of wind generation in Iowa, at a total project cost of $3.6 billion. The company called the announcement “a giant step toward realizing the company’s vision of 100 percent renewable energy for customers in the state.” The company said the project is the largest it has ever undertaken and is also the largest economic development project in the state’s history. Sen. Chuck Grassley is the author of the original production tax credit for electricity from wind and has successfully worked to renew the tax credit ever since. Late last year, he secured a long-term, five-year extension and phase-out of the tax credit, intended to give the industry certainty for investments and job creation. Grassley made the following comment on the announcement.
“Wind energy is having a banner year, and it’s only April. The potential for wind energy in Iowa and the nation looks endless. I’m grateful for the latest investment in the people of Iowa. The number of jobs in this industry continues to grow. There are more than 6,000 good wind jobs in Iowa. In addition to the direct jobs, wind energy is a selling point for tech companies that located to Iowa in part because they wanted to take advantage of wind energy. Clean energy appeals across the board. I hope the tax certainty enacted last year contributed to the announcement today and that it will encourage other projects in Iowa and across the country over the next five years.”
Grassley’s comment earlier in the week on the announcement that wind power supports a record 88,000 jobs nationwide is available here.
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