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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.
Executive Session|Panel
Tuesday, November 19, 2024|3:15–5:00PM EST|Crystal B
Session Chair:
Hilary Lane (NEI)
Session Organizer:
In order to support the growing demand and sentiments around clean energy generation of all different scaled, nuclear energy technologies will require a true paradigm shift, with shorter deployment timelines, to usher in the next fleet of advanced reactors by 2030 and beyond. This Summer, NEI, in coordination with their members, submitted a comprehensive proposal to the NRC to streamline the regulatory framework for micro-reactors and other larger advanced reactors (light-water and non-light-water) titled, “Regulations of Rapid High-Volume Deployable Reactors in Remote Applications (RHDRA) and Other Advanced Reactors.” The proposal package contains numerous proposed changes to the NRC’s processes, guidance, and regulations for 31 unique regulatory topics, that would achieve a more modern regulatory framework, in response to the ADVANCE Act, and provide a more effective and efficient approach to address the unique considerations for new industrial customers.
Tim Williamson
Shepherd Power
Jon Grieves
Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Ross Moore
Oklo
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