Construction continues at a new wind farm in Mahaska County.

Tina Potthoff with MidAmerican Energy says the Prairie Wind Farm is part of a statewide expansion of wind energy.

“When complete, the Prairie Wind Farm will have 84 wind turbines over approximately 15 square miles, and that will add 158 megawatts of wind energy capacity for Iowa customers,” she says.

The new turbines are south and west of New Sharon, and a new operations center will be completed in Montezuma in July. Potthoff says the construction will also provide a boost to the area through current spending associated with the project and property taxes in the future.

“This wind farm will mean about $50 million paid to the landowners over the life of the project and about $90 million to the county in property taxes through 2046,” she says.

Pending any delays, the new wind farm will be in place by the end of the year. Hear more about the project on today’s In Depth with Dr. Bob Leonard.