DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MidAmerican Energy's 360.5-megawatt wind project -- 257 wind turbines in north central and northwest Iowa -- is on-line.

Yesterday, the 122nd and final wind turbine was commissioned at the Intrepid site near Schaller in northwest Iowa. On Nov. 30, the 135th and final wind turbine was commissioned at the Century site near Blairsburg in north central Iowa. Together, the two sites have the capacity to produce enough electricity to power 100,000 homes.

"MidAmerican is committed to the development of renewable energy," said wind project manager Tom Budler. "The initial 310.5 megawatts of electric generating capacity and the additional 50 megawatts brings MidAmerican's portfolio of renewable energy to approximately 9 percent of its total generating capacity, one of the highest percentages in the nation."

On Dec. 1, MidAmerican received the Renewables Project of the Year Award at the 2005 Platts Global Energy Awards for its wind project. In May, MidAmerican received the American Wind Energy Association's Utility Leadership Award for demonstrating leadership in the increasing utilization of wind power by the electric utility industry. According to the American Wind Energy Association, MidAmerican is now No. 3 in the United States in ownership of wind energy installations.

MidAmerican announced plans to build a 310-megawatt wind facility in March of 2003 following Gov. Tom Vilsack's challenge to state regulators, business leaders and utility companies to work toward achieving 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy generation in Iowa by 2010. In September 2005, MidAmerican completed the original 310.5- megawatt project. The additional 50 megawatts of electric generating capacity, approved by the Iowa Utilities Board in January 2005, was completed Dec. 13. Today, MidAmerican owns or has under contract 489 megawatts of renewable energy.

The wind project is only one part of MidAmerican's commitment to a stable and diverse energy supply for Iowans. The Greater Des Moines Energy Center, a combined-cycle generating station that uses natural gas as its fuel source and has the capacity to generate 540 megawatts of electricity, was completed last December. Construction began in September 2003 on a 790-megawatt coal-fueled generating facility in Council Bluffs, which is scheduled to be in commercial operation in the second quarter 2007.

Together, the three generation projects represent an investment of approximately $1.5 billion by MidAmerican in Iowa's economy. MidAmerican is making this significant investment while committing not to seek an increase in electric rates through at least 2010.

MidAmerican Energy Company, Iowa's largest energy company, provides electric service to 698,000 customers and natural gas service to 680,000 customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota. It is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Information about MidAmerican is available on the Internet at http:// www.midamericanenergy.com . SOURCE MidAmerican Energy Company