Alliant plans to add 1,000 megawatts of wind energy to Iowa’s grid

Alliant Energy is planning to add roughly 1,000 megawatts of wind energy to help boost Iowa’s electric grid and further diversify its energy portfolio, which already has about 1,800 MW of wind energy generation.

If the project — estimated to cost more than $3 billion — is approved by Iowa regulators, it would increase the company’s wind energy production by more than 50 percent.

Alliant’s parent company, Interstate Power and Light Company filed an application for the project July 1 with the Iowa Utilities Commission.

According to the filing, the wind project would allow Interstate Power and Light Company to “benefit its customers and the state of Iowa” by adding an additional 1,000 MW of energy.

The project, which the company is calling “New Wind III,” will be comprised of additional renewable resources that will help meet the capacity needs of the company’s customers and will support the reliability of IPL’s “generating fleet,” the filing stated.

Taylor Adams, a senior communications specialist with Alliant, said the company is expecting a decision on the project from the IUC in early 2026.

Alliant has not said where it intends to erect the wind turbines. Adams said Alliant is currently exploring a range of potential opportunities across the state on where to add the proposed wind generation projects.

Adams said details relating to the locations of the project, including how many homes powered from the project, will become available as the company’s request advances through the regulatory process with IUC.

“The proposed addition of up to 1,000 megawatts of wind energy is not a single, centralized project,” Adams told The Gazette in an email on July 9. “Rather, it will likely consist of multiple wind development projects across various locations in Iowa.”

According to the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, a typical 2.8-MW wind turbine could produce enough electricity to power about 1,000 homes.

A 1,000 MW project could mean more than 350 wind turbines that are capable of providing enough electricity to power more than 350,000 homes.

According to an investor meeting presentation from June 10 and 11, the company is planning to bring about 1,200 MW of new wind energy online in Iowa between 2028 and 2030.

The investor meeting presentation also noted that the company’s plans will meet with new federal deadlines for clean energy tax credits that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act, but are changing because of President Donald Trump’s budget reconciliation bill that was signed into law last week.

“All tax credits ($1.5B) generated through 2028 would be transferable since either already in-service or safe harbored projects that are expected to be in-service by 2028,” the presentation states. “Also expect tax credits generated beyond 2028 from such projects to have transferability preserved.”

Alliant’s current wind energy portfolio allows the company to supply power to about 600,000 homes without emitting greenhouse gases.

The wind addition is a reflection of Alliant’s “continued commitment to meet customer demand, and deliver reliable, cost-effective energy to the communities” Alliant serves, Adams said.

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“This filing marks a significant step in our commitment to an all-of-the-above approach to energy generation,” Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company and vice president of energy delivery said in the company’s July 2 news release. “By expanding our wind energy portfolio, we’re reinforcing our ability to meet customer demand while delivering reliable and cost-effective energy for customers.”

In its initial news release, Alliant said the company will own and operate the projects once operational, adding that the projects will create construction jobs, deliver payments to landowner partners, and will increase tax revenues for the counties in which the wind farms are built.

The company said the project is part of advancing their “all-of-the-above" approach to energy generation.

Olivia Cohen covers energy and environment for The Gazette and is a corps member with Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.

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Comments: olivia.cohen@thegazette.com