HANCOCK COUNTY WIND ENERGY CENTER
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 98 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Hancock County
- Operator
- FPL ENERGY HANCOCK COUNTY WIND, LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2002
- EIA plant ID
- 56010
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 268 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 31%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 43.0525, -93.6301
HANCOCK COUNTY WIND ENERGY CENTER, a 98 MW Wind power plant in Hancock County, Iowa. Operated by FPL ENERGY HANCOCK COUNTY WIND, LLC, commissioned 2002.
How HANCOCK COUNTY WIND ENERGY CENTER compares
With 98 MW of capacity, HANCOCK COUNTY WIND ENERGY CENTER ranks 47th among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 26th of the 63 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.9% of Iowa's operating Wind capacity and 0.6% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 279th-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2002, it is newer than 57% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Hancock County with 2 other operating plants, FPL ENERGY CRYSTAL LAKE WIND II LLC and FPL ENERGY CRYSTAL LAKE WIND LLC.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 98 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 268 GWh in 2024 (a 31% capacity factor), down 14% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, about 1.5 miles away. Another 12 operating power plants totaling 1,224 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is EMERY STATION (603 MW, Natural Gas).
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
HANCOCK COUNTY WIND ENERGY CENTER is a 98 MW wind power plant in Hancock County, IA, operated by FPL ENERGY HANCOCK COUNTY WIND, LLC, commissioned in 2002. Hancock County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.8 of 5 at the 46th national percentile. Tornado is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 98th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a wind plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Hancock County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.51 |
| Heat wave | Very Low | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 3.5 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 79th | 4.1 of 5 | 3.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Moderate | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 19.6 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 41.7 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 51st | 3.0 of 5 | 4.6 |
| Ice storm | Very Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 0.58 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 11th | 1.4 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Hancock 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 |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "No Rating" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Hancock 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.