Google and NextEra to Restart Iowa’s Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant 

NextEra Energy and Google have announced a landmark collaboration to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa — the state’s only nuclear facility — and explore new nuclear generation projects across the U.S. The 615-MW plant, shuttered in 2020, is slated to return to full operation by early 2029 following regulatory approval. Google has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with NextEra Energy to source 24/7 carbon-free nuclear power from the facility to support its rapidly growing AI and cloud infrastructure in the Midwest.

NextEra Energy will assume 100% ownership of Duane Arnold after acquiring the remaining 30% stake held by Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) and Corn Belt Power Cooperative. CIPCO will continue to purchase a portion of the plant’s energy output under the same PPA terms as Google. The project is expected to generate roughly 1,600 construction-related jobs, 400 permanent operating jobs, and deliver more than $9 billion in statewide economic benefits. Once operational, the plant will contribute over $320 million in annual economic output for Linn County alone and provide an estimated $3 million in local tax revenues.

In addition to restarting Duane Arnold, NextEra and Google will jointly assess new nuclear opportunities to meet rising power demand from data centers and AI workloads. Both companies emphasized that the project will not shift costs to local energy consumers. “Our partnership with Google not only brings nuclear energy back to Iowa—it accelerates the development of next-generation nuclear technology,” said John Ketchum, chairman and CEO of NextEra Energy. “Thanks to the leadership of the Trump Administration, Google and NextEra Energy are answering the call of America’s golden age of power demand.”

• Duane Arnold will supply 615 MW of 24/7 carbon-free power to Google’s Iowa operations
• Plant restart targeted for Q1 2029 pending NRC approval
• NextEra acquiring remaining 30% interest from CIPCO and Corn Belt Power
• Approximately 1,600 construction jobs and 400 permanent jobs expected
• Estimated $9 billion total economic benefit to Iowa
• Google’s total clean-energy partnership with NextEra now approaches 3 GW across the U.S.
• Both companies to explore future U.S. nuclear generation projects

“Building on two decades of work in Iowa, including our recent $7 billion investment in the state, Google is proud to partner with NextEra Energy to reopen the Duane Arnold Energy Center,” said Ruth Porat, president and CFO of Alphabet and Google. “This project will deliver nuclear energy and hundreds of new job opportunities by 2029, serving as a model for clean-power investments nationwide.”

🌐 Analysis:

This marks the first major U.S. nuclear plant restart dedicated to supporting AI data center power needs. The Google-NextEra alliance underscores a growing trend of hyperscalers turning to nuclear power to achieve round-the-clock carbon-free operations amid surging AI-driven electricity demand. It follows similar initiatives from Microsoft and AWS exploring small modular reactors (SMRs) and other firm clean energy sources to balance intermittent renewables. If successful, Duane Arnold could set a precedent for repowering other retired reactors to serve data-intensive workloads.