(Greenfield, IA) – The Adair County Board of Supervisors, today (Wednesday), approved the signing by Board Chair Jerry Walker, of plans for the MidAmerican Energy Center Paving Project near Orient, which will incorporate a major natural gas-fired power plant, as part of an “all-of-the-above” strategy to meet Iowa’s growing electricity demand, and is intended to complement existing wind farms (like the massive Orient Wind Farm) and future solar projects. The Energy Center Project is expected to cost around $600-million, and generate an additional 465 megawatts of power for the utility, beginning in 2028.

Company officials have stated the Orient Energy Center is expected to operate when load is at its peak and when customers need it the most, estimated at less than 10% of the year. The facility will provide more than 400 jobs during construction, approximately $7 million in property tax revenues over its service life and will bring up to five skilled craft jobs that pay between $100,000 to $125,000 annually, according to the company.

County Engineer Nick Kauffman described the scope of paving project.

It will take approximately two-years to complete, with another overlay at the end of that time frame to fix any imperfections on the road surface, MidAmerican pays for all materials and related costs. On a related note, the Board approved the Road Use Agreement for the Orient Energy Center Project.

Kauffman provided the Board with his weekly Secondary Roads Department maintenance and activities report. They then received FY2027 Funding Requests from representatives with the Adair County Historical Society, MATURA, and Adair County Tourism.