Natural Gas Power Plants in Iowa
Every operating natural gas power plant in Iowa on EIA-860M for 2026-07: 38 plants, 125 generating units and 4 GW of nameplate capacity across 26 counties, most of it inside MISO.
As of 2026-07 (inventory dated 2026-07-31) · EIA-860M Preliminary Monthly Electric Generator Inventory · eia.gov/…/july_generator2026.xlsx · eia.gov/…/eia860m
- Plants
- 38
- 125 generating units
- Nameplate capacity
- 4 GW
- Counties
- 26
- Grid operator
- MISO
- covers most of these plants
Map of natural gas power plants in Iowa
Every one of the 38 plants is drawn at the coordinate EIA files for it.
Loading map…
- Natural gas · 38
List of natural gas power plants in Iowa
Sort by any column. Capacity is nameplate, summed across every generating unit EIA lists at the site.
| Marshalltown Generating Station3 technologies | Interstate Power and Light Co | Marshall | 708.8 | 5 | 2017 | Operating |
| Emery StationNatural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | Interstate Power and Light Co | Cerro Gordo | 602.8 | 3 | 2004 | Operating |
| Greater Des MoinesNatural Gas Fired Combined Cycle | MidAmerican Energy Co | Polk | 576.3 | 3 | 2003 | Operating |
| Burlington (IA)2 technologies | Interstate Power and Light Co | Des Moines | 290.8 | 5 | 1968 | Operating |
| ElectrifarmNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Black Hawk | 264.1 | 3 | 1975 | Operating |
| Prairie Creek2 technologies | Interstate Power and Light Co | Linn | 198.8 | 2 | 1958 | Operating |
| MarshalltownNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Interstate Power and Light Co | Marshall | 189 | 3 | 1978 | Operating |
| ExiraNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny | Audubon | 181.5 | 3 | 2004 | Operating |
| Pleasant HillNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Polk | 179.8 | 3 | 1990 | Operating |
| Sycamore (IA)Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Polk | 157.6 | 2 | 1974 | Operating |
| River HillsNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Polk | 128 | 8 | 1966 | Operating |
| Earl F Wisdom2 technologies | Corn Belt Power Coop | Clay | 119.1 | 2 | 1960 | Operating |
| Summit Lake2 technologies | Central Iowa Power Cooperative | Union | 118.7 | 5 | 1973 | Operating |
| Ames Electric Services Power PlantNatural Gas Steam Turbine | City of Ames - (IA) | Story | 108.8 | 2 | 1968 | Operating |
| Roquette America2 technologies | Roquette America | Lee | 84.4 | 3 | 2004 | Operating |
| Coralville GTNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Johnson | 72 | 4 | 1970 | Operating |
| Streeter StationNatural Gas Steam Turbine | Cedar Falls Utilities | Black Hawk | 51.5 | 2 | 1963 | Operating |
| Gas Turbine (IA)Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Cedar Falls Utilities | Black Hawk | 43.4 | 2 | 1968 | Operating |
| University of Iowa Main Power Plant3 technologies | University of Iowa | Johnson | 40.5 | 8 | 1974 | Operating |
| Cargill Corn Milling DivisionNatural Gas Steam Turbine | Cargill Inc North America Sweetners | Monroe | 40 | 2 | 1952 | Standby/Backup |
| Iowa State UniversityNatural Gas Steam Turbine | Iowa State University | Story | 39.8 | 3 | 1970 | Operating |
| Merl ParrNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | MidAmerican Energy Co | Floyd | 36 | 2 | 1969 | Operating |
| New Hampton2 technologies | City of New Hampton - (IA) | Chickasaw | 26.5 | 5 | 1967 | Standby/Backup |
| Maquoketa 12 technologies | City of Maquoketa - (IA) | Jackson | 24.4 | 9 | 1956 | Operating |
| Osage (IA)4 technologies | City of Osage - (IA) | Mitchell | 19 | 6 | 1963 | Standby/Backup |
| Vinton2 technologies | City of Vinton - (IA) | Benton | 17.5 | 7 | 1946 | Operating |
| Estherville2 technologies | City of Estherville - (IA) | Emmet | 15.6 | 5 | 1946 | Operating |
| AtlanticNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Atlantic Municipal Utilities (IA) | Cass | 10 | 1 | 1999 | Operating |
| Bloomfield2 technologies | City of Bloomfield - (IA) | Davis | 8.5 | 6 | 1945 | Standby/Backup |
| Archer Daniels Midland Des MoinesNatural Gas Steam Turbine | Archer Daniels Midland Co | Polk | 7.9 | 1 | 1988 | Operating |
| University of Northern IowaNatural Gas Steam Turbine | University of Northern Iowa | Black Hawk | 7.5 | 1 | 1982 | Operating |
| Otter Creek Ethanol Poet - AshtonNatural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine | Otter Creek Ethanol LLC - Poet Ashton | Osceola | 7.5 | 1 | 2004 | Operating |
| POET Biorefining - JewellNatural Gas Steam Turbine | POET Biorefining - Jewell | Hamilton | 5 | 1 | 2019 | Operating |
| POET Biorefining LLC - CorningNatural Gas Steam Turbine | POET Biorefining LLC - Corning | Adams | 5 | 1 | 2018 | Operating |
| POET Biorefining - GowrieNatural Gas Steam Turbine | POET Biorefining - Gowrie | Webster | 5 | 1 | 2018 | Operating |
| Preston (IA)2 technologies | City of Preston - (IA) | Jackson | 3.6 | 2 | 1980 | Operating |
| Poet Bioprocessing EmmetsburgNatural Gas Steam Turbine | Poet Bioprocessing Emmetsburg | Palo Alto | 3.5 | 1 | 2023 | Operating |
| Oakdale Renewable Energy PlantNatural Gas Internal Combustion Engine | University of Iowa | Johnson | 2.8 | 2 | 2010 | Operating |
Largest natural gas power plants in Iowa
- 1Marshalltown Generating StationMarshall County, Iowa708.8 MW
- 2Emery StationCerro Gordo County, Iowa602.8 MW
- 3Greater Des MoinesPolk County, Iowa576.3 MW
- 4Burlington (IA)Des Moines County, Iowa290.8 MW
- 5ElectrifarmBlack Hawk County, Iowa264.1 MW
- 6Prairie CreekLinn County, Iowa198.8 MW
- 7MarshalltownMarshall County, Iowa189 MW
- 8ExiraAudubon County, Iowa181.5 MW
- 9Pleasant HillPolk County, Iowa179.8 MW
- 10Sycamore (IA)Polk County, Iowa157.6 MW
Natural gas power plants by county in Iowa
The county EIA files against each plant. It is the fastest way to find the plant nearest a given town.
| County | Plants | Nameplate MW |
|---|---|---|
| Polk | 5 | 1,049.6 |
| Marshall | 2 | 897.8 |
| Cerro Gordo | 1 | 602.8 |
| Black Hawk | 4 | 366.5 |
| Des Moines | 1 | 290.8 |
| Linn | 1 | 198.8 |
| Audubon | 1 | 181.5 |
| Story | 2 | 148.6 |
| Clay | 1 | 119.1 |
| Union | 1 | 118.7 |
| Johnson | 3 | 115.3 |
| Lee | 1 | 84.4 |
| Monroe | 1 | 40 |
| Floyd | 1 | 36 |
| Jackson | 2 | 28 |
| Chickasaw | 1 | 26.5 |
| Mitchell | 1 | 19 |
| Benton | 1 | 17.5 |
| Emmet | 1 | 15.6 |
| Cass | 1 | 10 |
| Davis | 1 | 8.5 |
| Osceola | 1 | 7.5 |
| Adams | 1 | 5 |
| Hamilton | 1 | 5 |
| Webster | 1 | 5 |
| Palo Alto | 1 | 3.5 |
Natural Gas Power Plants in Iowa: FAQ
- How many natural gas power plants are in Iowa?
- 38, with 4 GW of nameplate capacity between them, spread over 26 counties. That is the EIA-860M operating count for 2026-07.
- Is there a map of Iowa natural gas power plants?
- Yes — the map above. Each dot is one natural gas power plant, sized by nameplate capacity and placed at the coordinates EIA files for it.
- Which is the largest natural gas power plant in Iowa?
- Marshalltown Generating Station, at 709 MW. The table is sorted largest first, so the rest follow it.
- Is there a natural gas power plant near me in Iowa?
- The county roll-up below groups every plant by county, which is the quickest way to find the one closest to a given town.
- Which grid operator runs Iowa's natural gas power plants?
- Most of them sit inside MISO, according to the balancing-authority code EIA files against each plant. Live conditions for that market are on this site.
- How current is this, and what is left out?
- EIA-860M for 2026-07. Combined cycle, combustion turbine, steam turbine, internal combustion and other gas-fired units. Plants below 1 MW are not surveyed by EIA and so are absent; retirements and additions after 2026-07 arrive with the next monthly release.