87th largest plant in Iowa · 2691st nationally
Lime Creek is a oil power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 90.2 MW. It generates roughly 399 MWh per year — enough to power about 38 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 2750 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Lime Creek |
|---|---|
| Operator | Interstate Power And Light Co |
| City | Mason City |
| County | Cerro Gordo County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50401 |
| Coordinates | 43.24810, -93.20500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 45.1 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| 2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 45.1 MW | Operating | 1991 |
| CO₂ | 549 metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 1 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2750 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.. |
Oil-fired plants typically run only during peak demand or grid emergencies because oil is expensive compared to gas and coal. They have the highest CO₂ emissions per MWh of any common generation technology.