149th largest plant in Iowa · 5507th nationally
Metro Methane Recovery Facility is a biomass power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 11.2 MW. It generates roughly 81.5k MWh per year — enough to power about 7,760 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 83% means it runs nearly around-the-clock as baseload generation.
| Plant Name | Metro Methane Recovery Facility |
|---|---|
| Operator | Wm Renewable Energy Llc |
| City | Mitchellville |
| County | Polk County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50169 |
| Coordinates | 41.59889, -93.35500 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN10 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.6 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN11 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.6 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN12 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.6 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN9 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 1.6 MW | Cancelled | — |
| GEN1 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN2 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN3 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN4 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN5 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN6 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN7 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| GEN8 | Landfill Gas | Landfill Gas | 0.8 MW | Operating | 1998 |
| SO₂ | 16 metric tons |
|---|
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.. |
Biomass plants burn wood, agricultural waste, or methane from landfills to generate steam and electricity. They are considered carbon-neutral over long timescales when fuel is sustainably sourced, but they produce particulate emissions similar to coal.