World Power Plants

Iowa State University is a 46 MW coal-fired power plant in the United States, operated by Iowa State University since 1982. Ranked #267 of 297 coal plants in the United States. Its 46 MW represents 0.02% of the total coal capacity of 261,836 MW in the country. The largest coal plant in the United States is W A Parish at 4,008 MW, making Iowa State University 87 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Sycamore (157.6 MW, Gas) and FPL Energy Story Wind LLC (150 MW, Wind). The facility is located in Iowa, approximately 50 km from Des Moines.

Capacity
46 MW
Commissioning Year
1982

44 years old

Owner
Iowa State University
Location
42.0275°, -93.6394°

United States of America, North America

Context & rankings
  • 3,079. largest of 10,098 plants in United States of America
  • #14,572 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #2,568 of 2,793 Coal plants worldwide
Age & fleet comparison

44 years in operation

Coal fleet average: 29.2 years

Operator portfolio

Iowa State University operates 1 plants totalling 46 MW

Regional density

70 plants within 100 km, 4,917 MW combined

Nearest plant: Ames Electric Services Power Plant (2.5 km)

Location

Coordinates:: 42.027500, -93.639400
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Carbon Footprint820 g CO₂/kWh
Annual CO₂
181.7 Kt
222 GWh/year × 820 g/kWh
Cumulative CO₂
8.00 Mt
Over 44 years of operation
Past Retirement
2022
4 years past expected retirement
Annual emissions equivalent to
39.5K
cars per year
24.2K
homes per year
8.3M
trees to offset

Estimates based on Coal emission factor (820 g CO₂/kWh) and capacity factor (55%). Actual emissions may vary based on operating conditions, efficiency, and fuel quality.

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Coal
Energy Source
Non-Renewable
Country
United States of America
Continent
North America
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

United States of AmericaEnergy Profile

10,098
Total Plants
1420.7 GW
Total Capacity
GasCoalNuclearWind
Top Fuels

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