Nameplate capacity
3.6 MW
Rank in Iowa
#215
of 305 plants
In service since
1980
December 1980
Details
- Primary fuel
- Natural gas
- Technology
- Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine
- Operator
- City of Preston
- County
- Jackson County
- Generating units
- 2
- Share of state capacity
- 0.01%
- Rank among natural gas plants in Iowa
- #40 of 42
- EIA plant code
- 1176
Generating units
| Unit | Technology | Nameplate | Summer | Online | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Natural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | 1.8 MW | 1.8 MW | 1980 | Operating |
| 5 | Petroleum Liquids | 1.8 MW | 2.0 MW | 2020 | 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
| West Dubuque Solar | Solar | 3.8 MW |
| Alliant SBD 9205 A Y McDonald | Other | 3.6 MW |
| South Strawberry | Other | 3.6 MW |
| Waverly Solar - (IA) | Solar | 3.6 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 3.6 MW solar plant and a 3.6 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