John O. Larsen
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer at Alliant Energy
Thank you, Zac. Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining us. 2022 was off to a solid start with over 25% of our annual earnings achieved year-to-date, and we are reaffirming our consolidated 2022 earnings guidance of $2.67 to $2.81. I'll share some of the key highlights and then turn the call over to Robert for more details relating to our financial performance, renewable investments and regulatory matters. First, our temperature-normalized sales were ahead of forecast, continuing a trend we saw throughout most of last year and a key indicator of the strong and diverse customer base we proudly serve. We also had increased interest and activity on the economic development front, including the recent announcement that one of the largest Amazon facilities in the country will be built near Cottage Grove, Wisconsin.
The warehouse and distribution facility would total 3.4 million square feet and create approximately 1,500 jobs. And in Iowa, we're excited to partner with VERBIO as they break ground on their biorefinery expansion near Ames, Iowa next month. Another item to highlight was the strong performance from our wind portfolio. We saw outstanding wind power production for the first quarter, with total production more than 15% higher than our forecast. And some of our newest wind sites achieving net capacity factors in excess of 60% in the month of March, marking one of the strongest wind periods we have seen since we began owning and operating wind nearly 15 years ago. The strong wind energy performance helped us manage the impacts of rising fuel costs and demonstrates the customer benefits of having a diverse mix of energy resources in our portfolio.
Another example of our Clean Energy Blueprint in action. These solid results help us continue our long track record of delivering value for our customers, communities and investors. And we're also continuing to monitor and adjust to the impacts of global sourcing and supply chain issues as well as the impacts of inflation. Robert will share more about this when I turn the call over to him in a few minutes. But let me note how important it has been to have a flexible plan, talented and creative team and our ongoing efforts to manage costs for the benefit of our customers. On the solar front, earlier this week, we held a Golden Panel event for our local officials and community members as the first panels were installed at our North Rock Creek solar farm near Edgerton, Wisconsin. And we recently celebrated the installation of the final solar panel at our Bear Creek facility, also in Wisconsin.
And yesterday, we received verbal approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin for our second certificate of authority filing for an additional 414 megawatts of solar generation in the state. This result builds on our long history of achieving constructive regulatory outcomes. Throughout the process of the filing, our team demonstrated transparency regarding the current environment of supply chain and tariff risks, and we're committed to continuing that transparency as we continue our journey towards a clean energy future. That journey is part of our broader corporate responsibility. We've been sharing stories of our commitment to the environment throughout the month of April in honor of Earth Day, including progress we've been making on our commitment to plant one million trees by 2030.
We recently approved two agreements with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in Sauk and Juneau Counties to begin tree plantings as a part of their reforestation efforts. More than 80,000 tree seedlings will be planted this year in these Wisconsin counties through this partnership. And in Iowa, Burlington, Marshalltown and Grinnell are just a few of the 33 Iowa communities that will soon be greener, thanks to grants from our community tree program in partnership with Trees Forever. Trees Forever will provide communities with tree planting support from selecting the best species for their area to creating a care and maintenance plan to make sure the new trees have a long and healthy life. Equally important to our environmental efforts are the social commitments to our employees, customers and the communities we serve.
We know that when we embrace the diversity of our employees and continue to build upon our strong culture, we create a sense of belonging and inclusion that leads to wonderful things for our customers. And we are being noticed for our efforts. We recently were recognized by Forbes as a top midsized employer for the fourth year in a row. And just last week, we were named to Newsweek's first-ever Most Trusted Companies list. We will be sharing more of our progress and highlighting new initiatives with the release of our updated corporate responsibility report later this year. In summary, 2022 is off to a solid start, and we look forward to building on that momentum throughout the year as we focus on continuing our role as a leader in advancing renewable energy, delivering solid returns for our investors and delivering on our purpose of serving customers and building stronger communities. I want to thank you for your continued interest in Alliant Energy.
I'll now turn the call over to Robert.
