144th largest plant in Iowa · 5183rd nationally
Ncah Central Utility Plant is a natural gas power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 14.9 MW. It generates roughly 9.9k MWh per year — enough to power about 947 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 8% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 608 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Ncah Central Utility Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Centers For Animal Health |
| City | Ames |
| County | Story County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 50010 |
| Coordinates | 42.04611, -93.57944 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S-16 | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 3.0 MW | Operating | 2006 |
| S-13 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.1 MW | Standby | 2004 |
| S-14 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.1 MW | Standby | 2004 |
| S-17 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2006 |
| S-18 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2000 |
| S-19 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 2.0 MW | Standby | 2010 |
| S-7A | Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Natural Gas | 1.0 MW | Retired | 2000 |
| EP-6 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.8 MW | Retired | 2003 |
| EP-2 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.6 MW | Retired | 1996 |
| MBGEN | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.5 MW | Standby | 2004 |
| C-3 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Standby | 2005 |
| FRZRF | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 0.2 MW | Standby | 2005 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| National Veterinary Services Laboratory | Ames, IA | 10000.0% |
| National Animal Disease Center | Ames, IA | 10000.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 3.0k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 9 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 608 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.. |
Natural gas plants are the workhorse of the modern grid. Combined-cycle units achieve very high efficiency and can ramp up and down quickly to balance variable renewables. They emit roughly half the CO₂ per MWh of coal and far less of other pollutants, but they still release upstream methane during fuel extraction.