7th largest plant in Iowa · 640th nationally
George Neal North is a coal power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 584 MW. It generates roughly 1.3M MWh per year — enough to power about 119,319 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 24% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2306 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (584 MW nameplate × hours in the month). Filled bars are actual net generation reported to EIA Form 923. The gap between them is capacity factor made visible.
| Plant Name | George Neal North |
|---|---|
| Operator | Midamerican Energy Co |
| City | Sergeant Bluff |
| County | Woodbury County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 51052 |
| Coordinates | 42.32517, -96.37971 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 584 MW | Operating | 1975 |
| 2 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 349 MW | Retired | 1972 |
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 147 MW | Retired | 1964 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midamerican Energy Co | Urbandale, IA | 7200.0% |
| Ies Utilities, Inc | Cedar Rapids, IA | 2800.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 1.4M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 2.5k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.8k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2306 lb/MWh |
Annual totals and CO₂ rate reported by EPA eGRID for 2023. Reference averages are approximate U.S.-wide figures from the same dataset.
| NERC Region | MRO |
|---|---|
| Balancing Authority | Midcontinent Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc.. |
Coal plants burn pulverized coal to boil water and spin steam turbines. They emit substantial CO₂, SO₂, and NOₓ along with mercury and particulate matter. Modern units include scrubbers and selective catalytic reduction; older units are increasingly being retired or converted to natural gas as economics shift.