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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.
Plenary Session
Monday, October 10, 2022|8:30–10:00AM EDT|Salon A/B
Rita BaranwalWestinghouse
Alina JuganANS Student Chapter President NC State University
Andrew GriffithDeputy Assistant Secretary Office of Nuclear EnergyU.S. Department of Energy
Assil HalimiPh.D. StudentMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Ala F. AlzabenSenior Vice President Commercial & Customer Center Fuel Business UnitFramatome
The TopFuel conference will feature an engaging keynote session focused on the meeting theme, Sustainovation: The time is now!! ANS NC State University Student Section President Alina Jugan will moderate an interactive discussion on innovation in nuclear fuel and what is needed to sustain the existing fleet as well as propel us into the future. The conversation will be fueled by questions from the audience that will be answered by a panel of leading experts in the light water reactor fuel field. This immersive discussion will help provide a vision into the future of nuclear energy through insightful and thoughtful dialogue. Speakers include: • Rita Baranwal (TopFuel 2022 General Chair), Chief Technology Officer, Westinghouse • Ala Alzaben, Commercial & Customer Center, Fuel Business Unit, Framatome • Andrew Griffith, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy • Assil Halimi, PhD Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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