ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
Latest Magazine Issues
May 2026
Jan 2026
2026
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
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.
Technical Session|Panel|Panels
Friday, April 4, 2025|2:40–4:00PM MDT|Lobo AB
Session Chair:
Christopher M. Perfetti
Alternate Chair:
Ethan S. Krammer
Session Organizer:
Ashley Machado
We’re thrilled to welcome three distinguished speakers to our panel series: Charles Oppenheimer, Edward Blandford, and Nancy Jo Nicholas! Charles Oppenheimer is the founder of the Oppenheimer Project - a non-profit dedicated to promoting J. Robert Oppenheimer’s vision of international cooperation. He is also the founder and CEO of the startup Oppenheimer Energy, focused on fission energy projects. Dr. Edward Blandford is a Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer of Kairos Power. He is responsible for all KP-FHR engineering and technology development functions within the company. Dr. Nancy Jo Nicholas is the associate director for Global Security at LANL where she leads programs in Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation, Nuclear Counter-Proliferation and Counterterrorism, and Strategic Partnership Programs, as well as oversees the Field Intelligence Element. The panel will be moderated by Dr. Christopher Perfetti, Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering at UNM. We hope to see you there!
To join the conversation, you must be logged in and registered for the meeting.
Register NowLog In