POCAHONTAS PRAIRIE WIND FARM
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 80 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Pocahontas County
- Operator
- GAMESA ENERGY USA
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2012
- EIA plant ID
- 57976
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 382 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 54%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.5675, -94.6583
POCAHONTAS PRAIRIE WIND FARM, an 80 MW Wind power plant in Pocahontas County, Iowa. Operated by GAMESA ENERGY USA, commissioned 2012.
How POCAHONTAS PRAIRIE WIND FARM compares
With 80 MW of capacity, POCAHONTAS PRAIRIE WIND FARM ranks 52nd among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 28th of the 63 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 1.6% of Iowa's operating Wind capacity and 0.5% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 302nd-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2012, it is newer than 87% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Pocahontas County with 3 other operating plants, including POMEROY WIND FARM and WEST DIESEL GENERATION UNIT.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 80 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 382 GWh in 2024 (a 54% capacity factor), down 6% 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 292 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is POMEROY WIND FARM (286 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
POCAHONTAS PRAIRIE WIND FARM is an 80 MW wind power plant in Pocahontas County, IA, operated by GAMESA ENERGY USA, commissioned in 2012. Pocahontas County carries elevated modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 3.1 of 5 at the 52nd national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Very 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.
Pocahontas County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Very Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 4.5 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 97th | 4.9 of 5 | 0.50 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 85th | 4.4 of 5 | 4.3 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 16.8 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 64th | 3.6 of 5 | 0.69 |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 42.1 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 56th | 3.3 of 5 | 5.2 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 14th | 1.6 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 13th | 1.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Pocahontas 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 "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Pocahontas 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.