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The project would bolster Iowa’s already significant wind market. In 2019, the state generated 41% of its total energy needs from wind, up from just 5.1% in 2006, according to the Iowa Utilities Board. Governor Kim Reynolds called the Wind Prime project a “commitment and investment on a whole new level.”
Berkshire, overseen by Buffett as chief executive officer, has been building MidAmerican’s renewable efforts in recent years. MidAmerican estimates that it delivered 88% renewable energy to Iowa customers on an annual basis in 2021.
Buffett has said that he expected the utility could achieve “wind self-sufficiency” in Iowa. MidAmerican said Wednesday that the Wind Prime project will help the utility provide renewable energy equal to its Iowa customers’ annual usage.
“As MidAmerican continues to progress toward delivering 100% renewable energy to our customers, we are also preparing to meet an important milestone of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions,” Kelcey Brown, president and CEO of MidAmerican, said in the statement.
Berkshire expects the project to create 1,100 jobs during construction, and another 125 for ongoing efforts. It can generate an average of $24 million a year in local property-tax payments on the turbines and solar equipment, plus more than $21 million in annual landowner-easement payments. Berkshire expects construction to be completed in late 2024 if the project is approved.
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