EXIRA
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 182 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Audubon County
- Operator
- WESTERN MINNESOTA MUN PWR AGNY
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2004
- EIA plant ID
- 56013
- Generators
- 3
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 314 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 20%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 41.5139, -94.9192
EXIRA, a 182 MW Natural Gas power plant in Audubon County, Iowa. Operated by WESTERN MINNESOTA MUN PWR AGNY, commissioned 2004.
How EXIRA compares
With 182 MW of capacity, EXIRA ranks 21st among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 4th of the 22 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 7.3% of Iowa's operating Natural Gas capacity and 1.2% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 557th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 2004, it is newer than 62% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, WESTERN MINNESOTA MUN PWR AGNY, runs 2 operating plants in Iowa totaling 182 MW.
EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 182 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 314 GWh in 2024 (a 20% capacity factor), up 100% from 2022. Its generators came online between 2004 and 2007.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 10 operating power plants totaling 1,098 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ROLLING HILLS WIND FARM (444 MW, Wind).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
EXIRA is a 182 MW natural gas power plant in Audubon County, IA, operated by WESTERN MINNESOTA MUN PWR AGNY, commissioned in 2004. Audubon County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.5 of 5 at the 62nd national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Very Low by FEMA at the 99th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a natural gas plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Audubon County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Very Low | 99th | 5.0 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.39 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.84 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 4.9 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 79th | 4.1 of 5 | 14.0 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 66th | 3.6 of 5 | 0.96 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 6.1 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 49th | 3.0 of 5 | 44.4 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 10th | 1.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 9th | 1.4 of 5 | 0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Audubon County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Audubon County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.