SYCAMORE
OperatingNatural Gas power plant
- Capacity
- 158 MW
- Primary fuel
- Natural Gas
- County
- Polk County
- Operator
- MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1974
- EIA plant ID
- 8029
- Generators
- 2
- Technology
- Natural Gas Fired Combustion Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 9.5 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 0.7%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 41.6718, -93.6765
SYCAMORE, a 158 MW Natural Gas power plant in Polk County, Iowa. Operated by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, commissioned 1974.
How SYCAMORE compares
With 158 MW of capacity, SYCAMORE ranks 27th among the 198 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Iowa and 6th of the 22 operating Natural Gas plants in the state. It accounts for about 6.3% of Iowa's operating Natural Gas capacity and 1.0% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 596th-largest of the 1,185 operating Natural Gas plants in the database. Commissioned in 1974, it is older than 71% of the 198 operating Iowa plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, runs 28 operating plants in Iowa totaling 8,028 MW. It shares Polk County with 7 other operating plants, including GREATER DES MOINES and PLEASANT HILL.
EIA-860 lists 2 generators at the site with 158 MW of nameplate capacity, all natural gas fired combustion turbine technology. Net generation was 9.5 GWh in 2024 (a 0.7% capacity factor).
Grid neighborhood
The closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line owned by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, under 0.1 miles away. Another 10 operating power plants totaling 1,111 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is GREATER DES MOINES (576 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
SYCAMORE is a 158 MW natural gas power plant in Polk County, IA, operated by MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CO, commissioned in 1974. Polk County carries moderate modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 2.4 of 5 at the 35th national percentile. Strong wind is the leading peril, rated Very High by FEMA at the 84th 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.
Polk County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strong wind | Very High | 84th | 4.4 of 5 | 6.0 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 77th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.59 |
| Heat wave | Relatively High | 74th | 4.0 of 5 | 7.3 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 63rd | 3.5 of 5 | 0.93 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | 14.1 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 43rd | 2.7 of 5 | 6.1 |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 30th | 2.2 of 5 | 44.3 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | 19th | 1.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 15th | 1.6 of 5 | 5.1 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 5th | 1.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Polk 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 Polk 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.