MidAmerican Energy Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Headquarters | Des Moines , United States |
Area served | Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Nebraska |
| Parent | Berkshire Hathaway Energy |
MidAmerican Energy Company is a U.S.-based energy provider headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. Its service territory extends across nearly two-thirds of Iowa as well as portions of Illinois, South Dakota, and Nebraska, all situated within the jurisdiction of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator. Major urban centers within its service network include Des Moines, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Council Bluffs, Waterloo, Iowa City, and the Quad Cities region.
This company functions as a subsidiary under the umbrella of Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
History
Formed in 1995, MidAmerican Energy resulted from the consolidation of the Iowa-Illinois Gas and Electric Company, which served southeastern Iowa, with Midwest Resources, covering central and western parts of the state. Midwest Resources itself was created in 1990 through the merger of Midwest Energy—the parent company of Iowa Public Service Company operating in northwestern Iowa—and Iowa Resources, which held ownership of Iowa Power and Light Company serving central and southwestern regions.
By 2017, MidAmerican Energy provided electric service to roughly 760,000 customers and natural gas to more than 740,000 customers.
Controversy
MidAmerican Energy runs five coal-fired power stations in Iowa, situated in Salix, Ottumwa, Louisa, and Council Bluffs. These plants contribute to one-third of the industrial carbon dioxide emissions in Iowa and have been associated with an estimated 3,700 premature deaths across the U.S. attributable to particulate matter pollution. In 2022, the Clean Up MidAm Coalition was established to raise awareness about the environmental and health consequences linked to these coal operations.
Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center
The company owns and operates the Walter Scott, Jr. Energy Center located in Council Bluffs—a coal-powered facility consisting of four generating units that produce more than 1,600 megawatts of electricity.
Renewable energy
MidAmerican Energy has been expanding its renewable energy portfolio since 2004, focusing largely on wind power. By March 2014, wind turbines accounted for nearly 30% of its owned generation capacity—approximately 2,285 megawatts from 1,267 turbines. In 2013, MidAmerican committed up to $1.9 billion to increase wind capacity by 1,050 megawatts within Iowa by 2015; this represented the largest single procurement of onshore wind turbines at that time. The turbine components are manufactured in Iowa and Kansas, with all turbines installed across Iowa. After completion, total wind capacity was projected to reach about 3,335 megawatts (39% of overall generation) from 1,715 turbines. The company anticipated wind energy would supply one-third of its total electricity by 2020.
By 2016, MidAmerican operated roughly 2 gigawatts of Siemens turbines alongside 1 gigawatt of GE turbines. In June 2016, it entered into a $2.2 billion contract for 2 gigawatts of Vestas turbines (Wind XI project) in Iowa and agreed to provide power from this development to data centers operated by Facebook, Microsoft, and Google.
In May 2018, MidAmerican unveiled “Wind XII,” a wind farm project totaling 591 megawatts that positioned it as the first investor-owned utility in the United States to generate renewable energy equivalent to its customers’ total annual consumption.
Hiring of veterans
In recognition of its dedication to employing veterans, MidAmerican Energy received the "Military Friendly Employer Award" in 2017. The company promotes an "Opportunities for Veterans" section on its website that identifies civilian job roles corresponding to military experience such as engineering positions, outage project managers, and plant operators.