Ames Electric Services Power Plant
Story County, Iowa · EIA plant ID 1122 · Operator: City of Ames - (IA)
Nameplate109MWSummer 109 MW
Generators2in service
Net generation285GWh12 mo to Dec 2025
Capacity factor27%gas/coal/oil units, summer MW
Heat rate12,343Btu/kWhfossil units, electric fuel, HHV
First online1968Runs as intermediate
Monthly net generation
EIA-923, all units at the plant. Net of station use; storage can go negative.
FinalPreliminary
Capacity factor by year
Net MWh ÷ (summer MW × hours), gas/coal/oil units. Each year uses that year's EIA-860 ratings; the hollow dot is the latest 12 months.
Heat rate by year
Electric fuel MMBtu × 1000 ÷ net MWh (Btu/kWh, HHV), fossil units only; CT + CA counted as one combined-cycle block.
Annual data table
| Year | Net GWh | Capacity factor | Heat rate (Btu/kWh) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 405.6 | — | 11,183 |
| 2002 | 425.1 | — | 10,785 |
| 2003 | 417.7 | — | 11,837 |
| 2004 | 411.2 | 42.5% | 12,182 |
| 2005 | 506.1 | 53.2% | 13,083 |
| 2006 | 460 | 48.4% | 16,234 |
| 2007 | 460 | 45.9% | 12,150 |
| 2008 | 448.5 | 44.9% | 12,434 |
| 2009 | 353.8 | 35.5% | 12,672 |
| 2010 | 348.7 | 34.5% | 12,876 |
| 2011 | 322.6 | 33.2% | 12,609 |
| 2012 | 323.2 | 35.4% | 12,473 |
| 2013 | 290.8 | 30.6% | 12,583 |
| 2014 | 283.2 | 28.0% | 12,423 |
| 2015 | 250.7 | 24.2% | 12,913 |
| 2016 | 280.7 | 27.9% | 13,477 |
| 2017 | 281.6 | 28.3% | 12,539 |
| 2018 | 186.1 | 20.4% | 12,850 |
| 2019 | 128.9 | 14.0% | 12,961 |
| 2020 | 246.2 | 26.6% | 12,366 |
| 2021 | 257.4 | 27.8% | 12,808 |
| 2022 | 322.4 | 31.4% | 12,220 |
| 2023 | 329.5 | 32.5% | 12,042 |
| 2024 | 305.6 | 29.1% | 12,462 |
| 2025 | 285 | 27.2% | 12,343 |
Generators
EIA-860 (annual) with EIA-860M updates through Sep 2026. EIA-923 reports generation by plant, prime mover and fuel, not by unit, so unit-level output isn't shown.
| Gen ID | Technology | Prime mover | Nameplate MW | Summer MW | Online | Status | Planned retirement | OEM / model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | ST | 37.5 | 40.2 | May 1968 | Operating | — | coming soon |
| 8 | Natural Gas Steam Turbine | ST | 71.3 | 68.5 | Jun 1982 | Operating | — | coming soon |
Owner / operator
Operator: City of Ames - (IA). Ownership shares by in-service nameplate MW (EIA-860 Schedule 4; units not listed there are wholly owned by the operator).
| City of Ames - (IA) | 100.0% | 109 MW |
Nearby plants
Within 80 km.
| Ames GT | 79 MW | 2.2 km |
| Iowa State University | 40 MW | 2.5 km |
| IA - City of Ames - Airport Road | 2 MW | 2.6 km |
| NCAH Central Utility Plant | 14 MW | 3.3 km |
| ISU Customer Hosted 1MW Solar Project | 1 MW | 6.5 km |
| Optimum Wind 6 LLC | 3 MW | 7.4 km |