MidAmerican Energy Co. has purchased nearly 7 acres of farm ground in Dallas County on which it plans on building a new electric substation.

The energy company paid Hope K Farms LLC nearly $1.8 million for the property that is located south of Iowa Highway 44 and about one-fourth of a mile east of Southwest County Line Road east of Grimes, Dallas County real estate records show. The transaction was recorded Jan. 3.

The property is adjacent to an existing transmission line that serves area customers, Geoff Greenwood, MidAmerican Energy spokesman, wrote in an email.

“Once complete, the [new] substation will support future growth of new residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and will also improve reliability for existing customers in the area,” Greenwood wrote. A timeline has not yet been established for construction of the substation, he wrote. “We can move forward with additional planning now that we have acquired this property.”