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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.
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Urenco USA (UUSA) is part of an international company that operates on the cutting-edge of the nuclear energy industry, utilizing an advanced, energy-efficient, and cost-effective method to enrich uranium. As the only enrichment facility in North America, UUSA helps provide clean, sustainable energy while operating under a framework of high environmental, social responsibility, and corporate governance standards. We strive to promote the production of nuclear energy to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy while remaining dedicated to safety and investing in community outreach.
