243rd largest plant in Iowa · 9754th nationally
Rock Rapids is a oil power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 2.5 MW. It generates roughly 13 MWh per year — enough to power about 1 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 0% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 1797 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits above the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
| Plant Name | Rock Rapids |
|---|---|
| Operator | Rock Rapids Municipal Utility |
| City | Rock Rapids |
| County | Lyon County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 51246 |
| Coordinates | 43.42944, -96.16917 |
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 | 2.5 MW | Operating | 1968 |
| CO₂ | 12 metric tons |
|---|---|
| CO₂ Rate | 1797 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 | Southwest Power Pool |
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.