COW BRANCH WIND FARM
OperatingWind power plant
- Capacity
- 50 MW
- Primary fuel
- Wind
- County
- Atchison County
- Operator
- COW BRANCH WIND POWER LLC
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 2008
- EIA plant ID
- 56536
- Generators
- 1
- Technology
- Onshore Wind Turbine
- Net generation (2024)
- 61 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 14%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 40.4521, -95.4636
COW BRANCH WIND FARM, a 50 MW Wind power plant in Atchison County, Missouri. Operated by COW BRANCH WIND POWER LLC, commissioned 2008.
How COW BRANCH WIND FARM compares
With 50 MW of capacity, COW BRANCH WIND FARM ranks 43rd among the 92 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Missouri and 4th of the 6 operating Wind plants in the state. It accounts for about 11% of Missouri's operating Wind capacity and 0.3% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 377th-largest of the 708 operating Wind plants in the database. Commissioned in 2008, it is newer than 89% of the 89 operating Missouri plants with a recorded commissioning year. It shares Atchison County with 2 other operating plants, FARMERS CITY WIND LLC and LOESS HILLS WIND FARM.
EIA-860 lists 1 generator at the site with 50 MW of nameplate capacity, all onshore wind turbine technology. Net generation was 61 GWh in 2024 (a 14% capacity factor), down 45% from 2022.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is COOPER (345 kV), about 11.5 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 345 kV line, about 1.5 miles away. Another 6 operating power plants totaling 2,380 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is NEBRASKA CITY (1,390 MW, Coal).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
COW BRANCH WIND FARM is a 50 MW wind power plant in Atchison County, MO, operated by COW BRANCH WIND POWER LLC, commissioned in 2008. Atchison County carries high modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.2 of 5 at the 80th national percentile. Heat wave 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.
Atchison County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 98th | 4.9 of 5 | 9.4 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 95th | 4.8 of 5 | 0.46 |
| Riverine flooding | Very Low | 91st | 4.6 of 5 | 1.5 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 82nd | 4.3 of 5 | 6.6 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 4.2 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 68th | 3.7 of 5 | 11.0 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Lightning | Very Low | 57th | 3.3 of 5 | 47.5 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Low | 56th | 3.2 of 5 | 0.74 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 22nd | 1.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
Perils not assessed in Atchison 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 Atchison 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.