NextEra ‘very interested’ in restarting Duane Arnold nuclear power plant

During a call with investors Wednesday, the company’s CEO said NextEra is conducting engineering studies and talking with regulators

NextEra Energy, owner of the shuttered Duane Arnold nuclear power plant near Palo, is “interested” in reopening the plant and is studying whether it’s possible.

John Ketchum, CEO of NextEra Energy, which has owned Duane Arnold since 2005, made the comments during the company’s earnings call Wednesday.

“We are very interested in getting the facility back online,” Ketchum said. Reuters. Ketchum added that the Duane Arnold plant uses a boiling water reactor, which can be easier to restart than other systems.

“This gives us optimism that we can do this at an attractive price and without a lot of risk,” he said.

Ketchum told investors the company is conducting engineering studies and talking with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local stakeholders about a possible restart. CNBC reported.

In June, Ketchum said: Bloomberg and that NextEra would “consider reopening the facility if it can be done safely and within budget.”

When The Gazette contacted NextEra after the Bloomberg interview was published, a company spokesperson said NextEra had not conducted a “formal study regarding the feasibility of restarting the operation at Duane Arnold.”

Ketchum said NextEra hopes to sign a power purchase agreement for electricity produced by the Duane Arnold facility, according to reports on Wednesday’s call.

“It goes without saying that there’s obviously very strong interest from customers, particularly data center customers at this site,” Ketchum said, according to CNBC. he said.

The construction of data centers is causing an increase in electricity demand across the country.

Constellation Energy, owner of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, said last month. plans to restart the reactor. The facility, which has been closed for five years, will have a 20-year agreement to sell its electricity to Microsoft to supply the company’s data centres.

Yes 30 data centers In Iowa, more are planned to be built.

Earlier this year, Google announced a 576 million dollar data center North of the Eastern Iowa Airport, at the Big Cedar Industrial Center, near 76th Avenue SW and Edgewood Road SW in Cedar Rapids. At the time, the city said it would be the largest development in Cedar Rapids history.

Cedar Rapids City Council in September approved a term sheet containing provisional points of agreement For a development agreement with SNA LLC for the construction of two or more data center buildings, also in the Big Cedar Industrial Center. This development will be a $750 million project, even larger than the Google development.

In his comments Wednesday, Ketchum reportedly said NextEra was working with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local stakeholders to evaluate the possible restart of the Duane Arnold plant.

BJ Dvorak, Linn County Emergency Management Agency coordinator, said Thursday he had heard nothing indicating NextEra was considering restarting the plant.

The Duane Arnold nuclear power plant opened in 1974 under the ownership of what is now Alliant Energy. It employed more than 500 people when it closed in August 2020.

Herb Planned to be decommissioned in 2019 In October 2020, when Duane Arnold’s primary customer, Alliant, agreed to a $110 million buyout to end its power purchase agreement. When the derecho in August 2020 caused some exterior damage, NextEra agreed to begin the shutdown process early.