Alliant Energy presents two Franklin County wind projects, asks county for underground-crossing agreement

Brandon Miller, a development representative for Alliant Energy, told county officials the company is advancing two wind projects in Franklin County — Whispering Willow South and Wild Rose — and asked the county to adopt a practical process for underground collector crossings so construction would not be blocked by trail easements or denied by unclear lease language. "We recently decided to move forward with a thousand megawatts of additional wind within Iowa," Miller said, and the two Franklin County projects are part of that pipeline.

Miller described both projects as roughly 175 megawatts each in concept and estimated that siting could involve 30–40 turbines per project depending on engineering and landowner participation. He said the company is working under the county’s recently adopted ordinance that caps turbines and cited 68 remaining turbines available under that local cap. Miller estimated the projects together represent about 27,695 acres of development outreach and more than 200 landowners across the two developments, with roughly 15,000 amended acres actively signed in the South project and about 12,860 acres and 89 landowners noted for the Wild Rose area.

A central ask was administrative: Miller requested an agreement that would allow Alliant to bore underground collector and transmission connections beneath the county bike trail so the trail would remain intact while cables pass below it. He said this would usually be handled via a narrow permit or an amendment focused on collector crossings rather than reworking large lease terms. "It would be advantageous for us to come to an agreement where it's just easy to figure out how to bore underneath and have very minimal impact on the actual bike trail or the property itself," Miller said.

County officials and conservation board members discussed prior leases dating to 2008 and 2017; Miller said leases from 2017 are being treated as non‑participants for new siting unless landowners renegotiate, but that collector or underground‑only agreements might be possible. Conservation board members reported that, in a recent special session, both boards broadly preferred to stay with the current lease rather than immediately sign proposed amendments. Several supervisors asked for road‑level and map details to understand proximity to specific residences and to Mallard and other local roads where residents had expressed concern.

Miller outlined a project timeline that keeps land outreach and array design active through the end of the year, aims to finalize concept plans by January–February, pursue permitting in the second quarter of next year, with potential construction starts in late 2028 and commercial operation in 2029 if schedules hold. He said Alliant will return with more precise maps and engineering details and is open to attending additional county meetings to answer follow‑up questions.

No county action or formal vote on the projects or the requested underground‑crossing agreement was recorded during the presentation; county staff and the conservation board will continue to vet lease language, trail impacts and engineering detail at subsequent meetings.

Next steps: Alliant agreed to provide road and parcel maps and to meet again with county staff or boards for additional public information sessions. The county will consider whether a limited underground‑crossing permit or a lease amendment best protects the bike trail and resident interests while allowing necessary collector infrastructure.