PRAIRIE CREEK
OperatingCoal power plant
- Capacity
- 213 MW
- Primary fuel
- Coal
- County
- Linn County
- Operator
- INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1958
- EIA plant ID
- 1073
- Generators
- 3
- Net generation (2024)
- 67.6 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 3.6%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 41.9440, -91.6392
PRAIRIE CREEK, a 213 MW Coal power plant in Linn County, Iowa. Operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned 1958.
How PRAIRIE CREEK compares
With 213 MW of capacity, PRAIRIE CREEK ranks 15th among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 9th of the 19 operating Coal plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.2% of Iowa's operating Coal capacity and 1.4% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 205th-largest of the 324 operating Coal plants in the database. Commissioned in 1958, it is older than 85% 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 Linn County with 8 other operating plants, including ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CEDAR RAPIDS and ALLIANT SBD 9106 ROCKWELL CR.
Under the same EIA plant code, EIA-860 lists 3 generators at the site with 213 MW of nameplate capacity. Net generation was 67.6 GWh in 2024 (a 3.6% capacity factor), down 48% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1958 and 1997.
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line owned by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 12 operating power plants totaling 401 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CEDAR RAPIDS (256 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
PRAIRIE CREEK is a 213 MW coal power plant in Linn County, IA, operated by INTERSTATE POWER AND LIGHT CO, commissioned in 1958. Linn County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.3 of 5 at the 82nd national percentile. Heat wave is the leading peril, rated Relatively Low by FEMA at the 89th 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.
Linn County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 5.9 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 0.68 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 86th | 4.4 of 5 | 4.7 |
| Strong wind | Very High | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 6.1 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 53rd | 3.1 of 5 | 16.6 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 46th | 2.8 of 5 | 0.31 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 42.8 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 28th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 2.2 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 23rd | 1.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 2nd | 1.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Linn 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 Linn 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.