5th largest plant in Iowa · 506th nationally
George Neal South is a coal power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 696 MW. It generates roughly 933.4k MWh per year — enough to power about 88,893 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 15% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1908 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 (696 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 South |
|---|---|
| Operator | Midamerican Energy Co |
| City | Salix |
| County | Woodbury County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 51052 |
| Coordinates | 42.30060, -96.36170 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 696 MW | Operating | 1979 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midamerican Energy Co | Urbandale, IA | 4057.0% |
| Interstate Power And Light Co | Cedar Rapids, IA | 2570.0% |
| Corn Belt Power Coop | Humboldt, IA | 870.0% |
| Northwestern Energy - (Sd) | Sioux Falls, SD | 868.0% |
| Northwest Iowa Power Coop | Le Mars, IA | 486.0% |
| City Of Algona - (Ia) | Algona, IA | 294.0% |
| City Of Webster City - (Ia) | Webster City, IA | 260.0% |
| Cedar Falls Utilities | Cedar Falls, IA | 250.0% |
| City Of Spencer - (Ia) | Spencer, IA | 121.0% |
| City Of Coon Rapids | Coon Rapids, IA | 52.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 890.5k metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.5k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 724 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 1908 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.