Iowa State University
Natural gas power plant · Story County, Iowa
Nameplate capacity
40 MW
Rank in Iowa
#116
of 305 plants
In service since
1970
March 1970
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Steam Turbine
- Operator
- Iowa State University
- County
- Story County
- Generating units
- 3
- Share of state capacity
- 0.16%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Iowa
- #21 of 42
- EIA plant code
- 54201
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEN6 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 15 MW | 15 MW | 2005 | Operating |
| GEN3 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 13 MW | 13 MW | 1978 | Operating |
| GEN5 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | 12 MW | 12 MW | 1970 | Operating |
Nameplate is the maximum rated output; summer capacity is what the unit can reliably deliver on a hot day, which is typically lower.
Similarly sized plants in Iowa
| University of Iowa Main Power Plant | Natural gas | 41 MW |
| Cargill Corn Milling Division | Natural gas | 40 MW |
| Prescott Wind Farm | Wind | 39 MW |
| Merl Parr | Natural gas | 36 MW |
About this data
From EIA’s inventory of operable generators, May 2026 release. Capacity is nameplate — the maximum rated output of the equipment, not what the plant actually generates over a year, which depends on how often it runs. A 40 MW solar plant and a 40 MW nuclear plant have the same entry here and produce very different amounts of electricity.
“In service since” is the earliest in-service date among the units still listed, so a site rebuilt around newer equipment can read as younger than the site itself. All Iowa power plants · What Iowa actually generates