Greater Des Moines

Gas power plant in Iowa, United States of America. Approximate location 41.5563, -93.5283.

GasIowaUnited States of AmericaCO₂ reported

Greater Des Moines is a 576 MW gas power station in Iowa, United States of America. It is operated by MidAmerican Energy Co. Based on reported annual generation of 439 GWh, it can supply roughly 125,314 homes. It ranks #650 of 9,833 United States of America power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2003, it is around 23 years old — relatively modern. Its measured emissions of 839,556 t CO₂/yr (US EPA GHGRP) are equivalent to about 195,701 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).

576MW installed capacity
439GWh reported / yr
125,314homes powered
839,556t CO₂ / yr (US EPA GHGRP)
2003commissioned (~23 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id USA0007985.

839,556 t CO₂/yr — in everyday terms

This facility's annual emissions are roughly equivalent to:

195,701passenger cars driven for a year
109,488homes' yearly energy use
13,992,600tree seedlings grown 10 years to absorb it

Equivalencies via US EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies; emissions reported to US EPA GHGRP.

Reported generation trend

2013: 215 GWh20132014: 79 GWh20142015: 176 GWh20152016: 507 GWh20162017: 337 GWh20172018: 639 GWh20182019: 439 GWh2019639 GWh

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

Owner

Operated by MidAmerican Energy Co. All plants by this company →

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 41.6°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

9.9°Cannual mean temp
3,385heating degree-days (base 18°C)
455cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
255 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: -6 °CJF: -3 °CFM: 4 °CMA: 10 °CAM: 16 °CMJ: 22 °CJJ: 24 °CJA: 23 °CAS: 18 °CSO: 12 °CON: 3 °CND: -4 °CD24 °C

Heating degree-days here run 38% 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: 73/100 — this site sits in the top third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.

In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.

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.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #374 largest gas power plant of 1818 in United States of America by capacity.

United States of America has 1818 gas power plants in this dataset, together about 546,436 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 41.5563, -93.5283 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

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