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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
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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.
Chicago Local Section Event
June 6, 2024|7:00–8:00PM (8:00–9:00PM EDT)
Available to All Users
The ANS Chicago Local Section is hosting a presentation from Alex Wheeler of Curio, a company pioneering innovative nuclear waste recycling solutions and unlocking the full potential of the atom. From closing the fuel cycle to producing proliferation-hardened alternative fuels for current and advanced reactors, Curio envisions a future powered by clean, sustainable, and carbon-free nuclear energy.
Alex Wheeler is a Sr. Nuclear Engineer working for Curio. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degree from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and researched topics for MSRs, fuel cycle, and nonproliferation. Currently, Curio has received an ARPA-E grant to study NuCycle, an innovative method of recycling spent nuclear fuel, and Alex has spent much of his work focused research and development of NuCycle. Alex has also worked on reactor design concepts that utilize TRUfuel.
