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Cargill Corn Milling Division — United States of America

Gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America. Approximate location 41.1386, -92.6467.

GasIowaUnited States of America

Cargill Corn Milling Division is a 40 MW gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America. It is operated by Cargill Inc North America Sweetners. Based on reported annual generation of 103 GWh, it can supply roughly 30k homes. It ranks #3938 of 10,884 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1953, it is around 73 years old — an older, legacy facility. In context, gas supplies about 40.0% of United States of America's electricity; the national grid averages 384 gCO₂/kWh (43.0% low-carbon) (2025).

40MW installed capacity
103GWh reported / yr
29,542homes powered
1953commissioned (~73 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0010855.

Data status

Known data

FacilityCargill Corn Milling Division WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Iowa WRI
Coordinates41.1386, -92.6467 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity40 MW Wikidata P2109; installed/nameplate capacity
Verification noteQuality label backfilled from existing source-backed capacity provenance on 2026-07-05; capacity value was not changed. source-verified
OwnerCargill Inc North America Sweetners WRI
Commissioned1953 WRI
GWh reported / yr103 GWh·a⁻¹ WRI

Calculated from dataset

CO₂ emissions41,360 t CO₂·a⁻¹ calculated
Capacity rank in country#3938 / 10884 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#1459 / 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers0.33× · 121.2 MW · n=2165 calculated
Homes-powered equivalent29,542 calculated from reported generation
Climate10.3°C · HDD 3,256 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 34/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

TechnologyNot available not in dataset

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Data provenance

Source of the capacity and fuel values:

capacity: Wikidata P2109; fuel: WRI GPPD

In context: how this plant compares

At 40 MW, Cargill Corn Milling Division is below the median gas plant in United States of America (121.2 MW). Gas plants burn natural gas either in open-cycle turbines for fast peaking, or in combined-cycle units that recover exhaust heat in an HRSG to reach roughly 55–62% efficiency — the cleanest-burning fossil option.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Key facts

Load factor
30%, from 103 GWh of reported generation; the median for 1622 gas plants in United States of America that report generation is 26%
Generation trend
105 GWh in 2013 and 103 GWh in 2019 (−1%)
Highest and lowest year
2013: 105 GWh; 2016: 59 GWh
Share of United States of America gas capacity
less than 0.1% of 789,950 MW across 2,165 plants in this dataset
Age among peers
15 of 1,973 dated gas plants in United States of America are older

Calculated from the capacity and generation records in this dataset (WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0)).

Reported generation trend

2013: 105 GWh20132014: 91 GWh20142015: 84 GWh20152016: 59 GWh20162017: 72 GWh20172018: 78 GWh20182019: 103 GWh2019105 GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Cargill Inc North America Sweetners.

Local climate & thermal context

This gas plant burns natural gas in a turbine — often in a combined-cycle setup — to generate electricity. It sits in a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 41.1°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

10.3°Cannual mean temp
3,256heating degree-days (base 18°C)
488cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
230 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -2 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 11 °CAM: 17 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 4 °CND: -3 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 32% above the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.

Climate heat-demand index: 70/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

A gas turbine here also runs ~0% below its ISO (15°C) rating at this annual mean (typical CCGT curve, estimate).

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

This site sits in a mild atmospheric environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C2 — Low), with thermal cycling the leading environmental stress.

C2ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
34/100environmental-severity index
30.2°Cseasonal temperature swing
425 kmdistance to coast

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #1459 largest gas power plant of 2165 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 2165 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 789,950 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.1386, -92.6467 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Cargill Corn Milling Division?

Cargill Corn Milling Division is a 40 MW gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America, commissioned in 1953.

How much electricity does Cargill Corn Milling Division generate?

Cargill Corn Milling Division generates about 103 GWh of electricity per year.

Who operates Cargill Corn Milling Division?

Cargill Corn Milling Division is operated by Cargill Inc North America Sweetners.

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