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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Getting back to yes: A local perspective on decommissioning, restart, and responsibility
For 45 years, Duane Arnold Energy Center operated in Linn County, Ia., near the town of Palo and just northwest of Cedar Rapids. The facility, owned by NextEra Energy, was the only nuclear power plant in the state.
In August 2020, a historic derecho swept across eastern Iowa with winds approaching 140 miles per hour. Damage to the plant’s cooling towers accelerated a shutdown that had already been planned, and the facility entered decommissioning soon after, with its fuel removed in October of that year. Iowa’s only nuclear plant had gone off line.
Today the national energy landscape looks very different than it did just six short years ago. Electricity demand is rising rapidly as data centers, artificial intelligence infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, and electrification expand across the country. Reliable, carbon-free baseload power has become increasingly valuable. In that context, Linn County has approved the rezoning necessary to support the recommissioning and restart of Duane Arnold and is actively supporting NextEra’s efforts to secure the remaining state and federal approvals.
To add or remove a session from your itinerary, please check the circle to the left of its title.
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Sweeney B|Session Chair: Andrew Zillmer
Tuesday, May 7, 2024|10:00–11:40AM MDT
Panel|Sweeney F|Session Chair: Lindsay Kaldon
Tuesday, May 7, 2024|1:00–2:40PM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: N. Dianne B. Ezell
Tuesday, May 7, 2024|3:15–4:55PM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Michael C. Miller
Wednesday, May 8, 2024|10:00–11:40AM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Randy Bell
Wednesday, May 8, 2024|1:00–2:40PM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Mikaela Blood
Wednesday, May 8, 2024|3:15–4:55PM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Scott Wilson
Thursday, May 9, 2024|10:00–11:40AM MDT
Panel|Sweeney F|Session Chair: Timothy Reuter
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Aditya Shivprasad
Thursday, May 9, 2024|1:00–2:40PM MDT
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Georgette Alexander-Morrison
Thursday, May 9, 2024|3:15–4:55PM MDT
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Christopher (Britton) Reynolds
Sweeney B|Session Chair: Minghui Chen
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Erofil Kardoulaki
Panel|Sweeney F|Session Chairs: Lee S. Mason, Mohamed El-Genk
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Lindsey Holmes
Panel|Sweeney F|Session Chair: Kate Kelly
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Katey Lenox
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Timothy Schriener
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Mikaela Blood
Coronado/DeVargas|Cosponsored by Radioisotope Power Systems|Session Chair: Stacey L. Eaton
Coronado/DeVargas|Session Chair: Doug Burns
Sweeney CDE|Session Chair: Holly R. Trellue
Thursday, May 9, 2024|11:40AM–1:00PM MDT
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Nick R. Wozniak
Panel|Sweeney F|Session Chair: Harsh Desai
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Stacey L. Eaton
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Gabrielle Lee
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Jake R. Matthews
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Elizabeth Bluhm
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Duane Barber
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Nick Wozniak
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Roberta Mulford
Coronado/DeVargas|Sponsored by Nuclear Thermal Propulsion|Cosponsored by Radioisotope Power Systems|Session Chair: Stacey L. Eaton
Sweeney A|Session Chair: Tim Tinsley
