US utility Alliant Energy has opened a 200MW solar facility in Linn County, Iowa.
The project was developed by Duane Arnold Solar, a NextEra Energy Resources subsidiary, in two phases. The first phase began operations in March 2025 while the remaining 150MW opened in December 2024.
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It was previously called Duane Arnold Solar and has been renamed Pleasant Creek Solar, after a man-made lake near the site.
“Pleasant Creek Solar exemplifies our ‘all of the above’ energy strategy, resulting in cost-effective energy resources that increase reliability for customers,” said Mayuri Farlinger, president of Alliant Energy’s Iowa energy company.
“Our solar projects and energy system investments drive economic growth by attracting businesses to communities, creating jobs and boosting tax revenues.”
The company has opened four solar plants in the state with an operational capacity of about 400MW. In 2017, Alliant opened two solar gardens in Dubuque – about 72 miles North-East of Linn County – with a generation capacity of 6.2MW. Spread over ten hectares, the plants utilises 19,160 solar panels.
Following this, the company shared a “Clean Energy Blueprint” of its solar and battery ambitions in Iowa over the next 35 years, which will include over US$300 million of investment. According to the blueprint, the firm aimed to add 400MW of new solar capacity in the state by 2023, supporting its 1.3GW of wind power.
In December last year, Alliant completed the construction of two solar projects in Wever (150MW) and Creston (50MW) in Iowa. With a combined capacity of 200MW, the projects were built by US engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Burns & McDonnell. Previously, Burns & McDonnell constructed nine facilities for Alliant in Wisconsin, making Wever and Creston their tenth and 11th projects with the company.
