113th largest plant in Iowa · 3882nd nationally
University Of Iowa Main Power Plant is a natural gas power plant in Iowa with a nameplate capacity of 40.5 MW. It generates roughly 6.1k MWh per year — enough to power about 582 average U.S. homes.
Its capacity factor of 2% reflects intermittent or peaking operation. At 588 lb CO₂/MWh, its emission rate sits below the national grid average of roughly 800 lb/MWh.
Ghost bars are each month's theoretical maximum (40.5 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 | University Of Iowa Main Power Plant |
|---|---|
| Operator | University Of Iowa |
| City | Iowa City |
| County | Johnson County |
| State | Iowa |
| ZIP | 52242 |
| Coordinates | 41.65720, -91.54000 |
This plant highlighted in navy-ringed pin; other generators within 25 miles shown as fuel-colored dots.
| ID | Technology | Fuel | Capacity | Status | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN6 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 15.0 MW | Operating | 1974 |
| GEN13 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 10.0 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| GEN12 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 5.8 MW | Operating | 2022 |
| GEN1 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 3.0 MW | Retired | 1947 |
| GEN2 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | Natural Gas | 3.0 MW | Retired | 1956 |
| GEN10 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN7 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN8 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| GEN9 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | Natural Gas | 2.0 MW | Operating | 2014 |
| DG7 | Petroleum Liquids | Distillate Oil | 1.7 MW | Out of Service | 1998 |
| CO₂ | 1.8k metric tons |
|---|---|
| NOₓ | 2 metric tons |
| CO₂ Rate | 588 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.