OTTUMWA
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 726 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Wapello County
- Operator
- INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1981
- EIA plant ID
- 6254
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Conventional Steam Coal
- Net generation (2024)
- 1,894 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 30%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 41.0963, -92.5553
OTTUMWA, a 726 MW Coal power plant in Wapello County, Iowa. Operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned 1981.
How OTTUMWA compares
With 726 MW of capacity, OTTUMWA ranks 4th among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 4th of the 19 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 11% of Iowa's operating Coal capacity and 4.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 134th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1981, it is older than 67% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, runs 8 operating plants in Iowa totaling 2,312 MW. It shares Wapello County with one other operating plant, OTTUMWA CITY OF.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 726 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional steam coal technology. Net generation was 1,894 GWh in 2024 (a 30% capacity factor), down 45% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 161 kV line owned by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 3 operating power plants totaling 52 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is CARGILL CORN MILLING DIVISION (40 MW, Coal).
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
OTTUMWA is a 726 MW coal power plant in Wapello County, IA, operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned in 1981. Wapello County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.9 of 5 at the 48th national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 92nd percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a coal plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Wapello County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 92nd | 4.7 of 5 | 7.5 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Low | 88th | 4.5 of 5 | 3.3 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 67th | 3.7 of 5 | 4.9 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 45.2 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 58th | 3.3 of 5 | 4.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 56th | 3.3 of 5 | 11.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 52nd | 3.1 of 5 | 0.31 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 49th | 3.0 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 40th | 2.6 of 5 | 0.42 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 32nd | 2.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Wapello 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 Wapello 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.