Iowa Utilities Board Approves Largest Wind Project in History #WindEnergy #CleanEnergy

On August 26th, in another major boost to America’s booming clean energy economy, the Iowa Utilities Board announced its approval of MidAmerican Energy’s Wind XI project, which will be the nation’s largest ever wind energy project. Wind XI will add 2,000 MW–enough to power 520,000 homes– of new wind energy installations in Iowa, in addition to the 6,365 MW they have already built. This $3.6 billion investment will be installed by 2020 and ensures Iowa homes and businesses will be running on 85% clean energy by 2020, without any rate increase for customers. This single wind project includes more wind than was installed in 40 states at the end of 2015.In response, Bruce Nilles, Senior Director for Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign, released the following statement:

“This is an amazing example of how the unstoppable transition toward a 100% clean energy economy is moving faster than many expected. This is a landmark moment not only for the burgeoning wind energy industry in Iowa, a state which already runs on more than one-third wind energy and employs thousands of hard-working Iowans, but for the entire nation, as the largest wind project ever approved in the country. Iowa and MidAmerican’s rapid transition from dirty coal to affordable and renewable wind energy offers a clear path for utilities nationwide to make major strides towards 100% clean energy in a way that provides family-supporting jobs and without rate increases. This also represents a huge leap forward for one of Warren Buffett’s three utilities and is a model for how his other two can quickly follow suit, particularly Pacificorp, which operates the largest coal fleet in the West. We still have tremendous work to ensure that this transition keeps moving full speed ahead, but one thing is certain: with announcements like the one today, we aren’t ever going back to dirty fossil fuels.”