
One of the country's largest wind energy projects is officially underway in Iowa, KCCI News 8 reports.
The wind farm has begun its construction in Cass County, near Massena, and when complete will have 193 turbines that, when operating at their fullest capacity, will produce enough energy to power 190,000 homes in the region, officials from MidAmerican, the farm's developer, told the new source.
"This is actually the largest project MidAmerican has ever developed and probably one of the largest projects in the United States," Tom Budler of MidAmerican Energy said.
Three of the turbines have already been completed, but the company says they are actually behind schedule because of, ironically, wind speeds.
"You can't erect them when the wind is blowing, so we work nights and weekends just to install them," Jerry Grundtner, of Mortenson Construction, told the news provider.
The massive blades are built in Fort Madison and transported to the site, while the 181,000-pound nacelles, which convert the energy into electricity, come from Kansas.
According to the Iowa Wind Energy Center, Iowa is the nation's second largest wind energy producer, treading closely behind Texas.

