3rd largest plant in Iowa · 480th nationally
Ottumwa is a coal power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 726 MW. It generates roughly 3.1M MWh per year — enough to power about 299,106 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 49% puts it in the middle range — running steadily but not full-time. At 2392 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 (726 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 | Ottumwa |
|---|---|
| Operator | Interstate Power And Light Co |
| City | Ottumwa |
| County | Wapello County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 52501 |
| Coordinates | 41.09610, -92.55583 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conventional Steam Coal | Subbituminous Coal | 726 MW | Operating | 1981 |
| Owner | Location | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Midamerican Energy Co | Urbandale, IA | 5200.0% |
| Interstate Power And Light Co | Cedar Rapids, IA | 4800.0% |
Ownership reported to EIA Form 860. Percentages reflect reported generator-level ownership share, averaged when a plant has multiple generators.
| CO₂ | 3.8M metric tons |
|---|---|
| SO₂ | 1.0k metric tons |
| NOₓ | 1.0k metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 2392 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.