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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.
To add or remove a session from your itinerary, please check the circle to the left of its title.
Panel|Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Andrew Griffith
Monday, November 13, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EST
Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Amanda Leong
Monday, November 13, 2023|3:15–5:00PM EST
Panel|Columbia 11|Sponsored by NCSD|Cosponsored by FCWMD|Session Chair: David S. Orr
Panel|Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Patricia D. Paviet
Tuesday, November 14, 2023|10:00–11:45AM EST
Panel|Fairchild East/West|Session Chairs: Nathan Ryan, Hannah Patenaude
Tuesday, November 14, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EST
Georgetown West|Session Chair: Christina Leggett
Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Harish Reddy Gadey
Wednesday, November 15, 2023|8:00–9:45AM EST
Georgetown West|Session Chair: John H. Kessler
Panel|Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Jared Johnson
Wednesday, November 15, 2023|10:00–11:45AM EST
Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Junghyun Bae
Wednesday, November 15, 2023|1:00–2:45PM EST
Panel|Fairchild East/West|Session Chair: Andrew Worrall
Wednesday, November 15, 2023|3:15–5:00PM EST
