The new Bent Tree North Wind Farm’s preliminary design adds 153 megawatts (MW) of power to the electric grid, generating an equivalent amount of wind energy to supply at least 50,000 homes annually.
“Alliant Energy is proud to continue investing in wind development in Freeborn County, where we have long-standing, positive relationships with landowners and the broader community,” said Ben Lipari, vice president of commercial operations at Alliant Energy. “The Bent Tree North Wind Farm is expected to positively impact the environment and boost the local economy through tax revenue, leases with participating landowners and job creation.”
The Bent Tree North Wind Farm is projected to deliver over $100 million in tax revenue, landowner payments, wages and other benefits during the approximately 30-year-life of the project. Alliant Energy predicts 100 to 150 jobs will be created during construction. To date, the operating Bent Tree Wind Farm has generated over $5 million in tax revenue for Freeborn County while area landowners have received over $10 million in lease payments.
Alliant Energy has submitted a Site Permit Application to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and a Certificate of Authority application to the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Both applications will undergo a thorough review before a final decision is made.
Pending approval of the applications in Minnesota and Wisconsin, anticipated in 2026, construction of the Bent Tree North Wind Farm is scheduled to begin in 2027. The wind farm is projected to be operational by the end of 2028.
“Our investment in the Bent Tree North Wind Farm reflects our commitment to providing a reliable, safe and sustainable energy future – a future that integrates renewables and optimizes both new and traditional energy sources to balance innovation with proven solutions to meet the growing energy demands of our customers and support long-term local economic growth,” said Lipari.
As one of the top five largest utility owner-operators of regulated wind in the United States, Alliant Energy owns and operates nearly 1,800 MW of wind energy resources across Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin.
For additional information about the Bent Tree North Wind Farm – including the Site Permit Application with preliminary maps of the proposed project site – visit alliantenergy.com/benttree.
Alliant Energy Corporation (NASDAQ: LNT) provides regulated energy service to approximately 1 million electric and 430,000 natural gas customers across Iowa and Wisconsin. Alliant Energy's mission is to deliver energy solutions and exceptional service customers and communities count on – safely, efficiently and responsibly. Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) and Wisconsin Power and Light Company (WPL) are Alliant Energy's two public energy companies. For more information, visit alliantenergy.com and follow Alliant Energy on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.