Exira

Gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America. Approximate location 41.5144, -94.9197.

GasIowaUnited States of AmericaOCGTCO₂ measured

Exira is a 183 MW gas power station in Iowa, United States of America. It is operated by Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny. Based on reported annual generation of 104 GWh, it can supply roughly 30k homes. It ranks #2116 of 10,938 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2005, it is around 21 years old — relatively modern. Its annual emissions of 131,628 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 31k cars driven for a year. 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).

183Source-backed capacity
104GWh reported / yr
29,685homes powered
131,628t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2005commissioned (~21 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0056013.

Data status

Known data

FacilityExira WRI
CountryUnited States of America · Iowa WRI
Coordinates41.5144, -94.9197 WRI
FuelGas WRI
MW installed capacity183 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerWestern Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny WRI
Commissioned2005 WRI
TechnologyOCGT WRI
GWh reported / yr104 GWh/yr WRI
CO₂ emissions131,628 t CO₂/yr measured · US EPA GHGRP

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#2116 of 10938 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#942 of 2165 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.51× · 121 MW median · 2165 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent29,685 calculated from reported generation
Climate9.4°C · HDD 3,512 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC2 · 33/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset

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

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 operating-unit sum (location L100000402371); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 183 MW, Exira is well above the median gas plant in United States of America (121 MW). Technically it is described as OCGT. 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.

131,628 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

31kpassenger cars driven for a year
17khomes' yearly energy use
2.2 milliontree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions per US EPA GHGRP (measured for US EPA/EU ETS, modelled for Climate TRACE).

Reported generation trend

2013: 10 GWh20132014: 5 GWh20142015: 21 GWh20152016: 40 GWh20162017: 46 GWh20172018: 84 GWh20182019: 104 GWh2019104 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny.

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 41.5°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.4°Cannual mean temp
3,512heating degree-days (base 18°C)
413cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
382 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -7 °CJF: -4 °CFM: 3 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 22 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 11 °CON: 3 °CND: -4 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 43% 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: 76/100 — 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

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. 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)
33/100environmental-severity index
30.6°Cseasonal temperature swing
712 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

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 #942 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 41.5144, -94.9197 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is Exira?

Exira is a 183 MW source-record gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America, commissioned in 2005.

How much electricity does Exira generate?

Exira generates about 104 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can Exira power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 29,685 homes.

Who operates Exira?

Exira is operated by Western Minnesota Mun Pwr Agny.

How much CO₂ does Exira emit?

Exira has measured emissions of about 131,628 tonnes of CO₂ per year (US EPA GHGRP).

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