Data centers in Iowa

MidAmerican Energy's proposal would raise a typical residential customer's monthly natural gas bill by about 2.89 dollars, roughly 5 percent, and a temporary interim rate increase subject to refund may take effect shortly after formal filing. The Iowa Utilities Commission approved customer notices for the case and set four public consumer comment meetings for September 8 in Cedar Rapids, September 9 in Des Moines and virtually, and September 10 in Sioux City, all in 2026.

MidAmerican Energy asked the Iowa Utilities Commission to set advance ratemaking terms for an 800 megawatt solar project across roughly six Iowa sites, saying it needs the power partly because data center growth is pushing electricity demand higher than in 2023 and 2024. The commission approved a settlement in September 2025 that also requires MidAmerican to study its power supply plans every three years, including scenarios for retiring coal plants. The solar sites are expected to come online in phases in 2027 and 2028.

Alliant Energy's Iowa utility also won Iowa Utilities Commission approval for an individual customer rate contract with QTS for its hyperscale data center campus at the Big Cedar Industrial Center in Cedar Rapids. Like the Vulpine Power contract for Google's site next door, it locks QTS into a long term minimum payment regardless of how much power it actually uses. Through April 2026 these were the only two such large load contracts Alliant had brought to Iowa regulators.

Alliant Energy's Iowa utility got Iowa Utilities Commission approval for a special long term contract rate, called an individual customer rate, for Vulpine Power, the company developing Google's data center campus at the Big Cedar Industrial Center in Cedar Rapids. These contracts generally require large customers like data centers to commit to buying a minimum amount of power for many years, even if they end up using less. Iowa regulators have said this structure is meant to keep the cost of new power lines and equipment built for data centers off the bills of everyday households.

Alliant Energy's Iowa utility, Interstate Power and Light, asked in 2023 to raise electric and natural gas rates by about 284 million dollars a year. The Iowa Utilities Commission approved a settlement in September 2024 that cut the increase to about 185 million dollars and raised the fixed monthly charge on a typical residential electric bill from 13 dollars to 15.50 dollars, effective October 1, 2024. The order also freezes Alliant's electric rate base through October 2029 under normal conditions.