WHISPERING WILLOW WIND FARM - EAST
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 200 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Franklin County
- Operator
- INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2009
- EIA plant ID
- 56355
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 425 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 24%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.6330, -93.2070
WHISPERING WILLOW WIND FARM - EAST, a 200 MW Wind power plant in Franklin County, Iowa. Operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned 2009.
How WHISPERING WILLOW WIND FARM - EAST compares
With 200 MW of capacity, WHISPERING WILLOW WIND FARM - EAST ranks 19th among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 7th of the 63 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.9% of Iowa's operating Wind capacity and 1.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 73rd-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2009, it is newer than 76% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, runs 8 operating plants in Iowa totaling 2,312 MW. It shares Franklin County with one other operating plant, FRANKLIN COUNTY WIND FARM.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 200 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 425 GWh in 2024 (a 24% capacity factor), down 27% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, about 1.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 305 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is CENTURY (200 MW, Wind).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
WHISPERING WILLOW WIND FARM - EAST is a 200 MW wind power plant in Franklin County, IA, operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned in 2009. Franklin County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.9 of 5 at the 47th national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Very Low by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a wind plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Franklin County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Very Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 3.6 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.57 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 4.7 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 18.7 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 61st | 3.4 of 5 | 0.67 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 5.1 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 42nd | 2.7 of 5 | 40.6 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 16th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 11th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Franklin County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Franklin County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.