MidAmerican Energy’s renewable energy mix in Iowa exceeded 88% last year, according to a verification order recently released by the Iowa Utilities Board.
The board’s annual verification order validates the amount of renewable energy MidAmerican delivered over the course of the year, as a percentage of total retail energy the company delivered to its Iowa customers. The 88.5% is five percentage points higher than 2020.
“We are proud to provide our customers with 88.5% renewable energy today, but we aren’t stopping there,” said MidAmerican’s CEO Kelcey Brown in a news release on Monday. “We are always planning for the future – and the Wind PRIME project is the next step. That’s a major part of our long-term goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions.”
In January, MidAmerican Energy announced plans for a $3.9 billion renewable energy project in Iowa, including wind and solar generation, plus exploration of new technologies to advance the company’s transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. MidAmerican Energy said the proposed project, called Wind PRIME, would add 2,000 megawatts of wind generation and 50 megawatts of solar generation.
The company has also recently proposed conducting feasibility studies focused on other clean generation technologies, including carbon capture, energy storage and small modular nuclear reactors.
Since 2004, MidAmerican has invested approximately $14 billion in renewable energy projects across Iowa.
The Iowa Utilities Board plans to hold a hearing on the request from Oct. 31 through Nov. 4. If approved, the company plans to complete construction in late 2024.
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MidAmerican Energy proposes $3.9 billion renewable energy project in Iowa