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Conference Spotlight
2026 ANS Annual Conference
May 31–June 3, 2026
Denver, CO|Sheraton Denver
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Nuclear Science and Engineering
June 2026
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
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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.
Technical Session
Tuesday, July 23, 2024|10:00–11:50AM CDT|Assembly
Session Chair:
Lauren M. Garrison (Commonwealth Fusion Systems)
Session Organizer:
Alternate Chair:
Charles Hirst
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Introduction and Status of the Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source Risk Reduction Activity
10:00–10:25AM CDT
Brian Grierson (General Atomics), Sara Ferry (MIT), Phil Ferguson (ORNL), Jaime Marian (Univ. of California, Los Angeles), Eric Pitcher (Boston Government Services), Brian Wirth (Univ. Tennessee, Knoxville), Jim White (StrataG)
Paper
Ion-Beam-Driven Polywell Fusion Prototypic Neutron Source
10:25–10:50AM CDT
Ross Radel (SHINE Technologies), Nicholas Krall (EMC2), Thomas Weber (LANL)
Micro-FPNS Concept for a 1 DPA/yr 14.1 MeV Neutron Source Based on the Hybrid Electrostatic/Magnetic Confinement Orbitron Fusion Reactor
10:50–11:10AM CDT
Robin Langtry (Avalanche Energy Designs)
Thermal Gradient and Neutron Irradiation Experiment Design for Fusion Reactor Materials in the Advanced Test Reactor
11:10–11:30AM CDT
Michael Worrall (INL), Daniel Chapman (INL), Ryan Sandbek (INL), Hanns Gietl (INL), Nicolas Woolstenhulme (INL), Jason Brookman (INL)
Accelerating Ion Irradiation Sample Throughput via Lateral Gas Implantation Gradients
11:30–11:50AM CDT
Charles A. Hirst (Univ. Michigan), Aäron G. Penders (Univ. Michigan), Alexander Flick (Univ. Michigan), Fabian U. Naab (Univ. Michigan), Logan N. Clowers (Univ. Michigan), Lauren M. Garrison (Commonwealth Fusion Systems), Cody A. Dennett (Commonwealth Fusion Systems), Michael P. Short (MIT), Gary S. Was (Univ. Michigan)
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