NextEra Energy and Google have agreed to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa, five years after its closure, marking a major step in the renewed U.S. interest in nuclear power driven by the surging electricity needs of artificial intelligence and data centres.
Under the deal, announced on Monday, the 615-megawatt nuclear plant near Cedar Rapids is scheduled to resume operations in early 2029, supported by a 25-year power purchase agreement for Google to buy electricity generated from the facility. The agreement also includes a commitment by both companies to explore new nuclear technologies, such as small modular reactors.
The announcement follows a similar partnership between Constellation Energy and Microsoft involving the former Three Mile Island nuclear site in Pennsylvania, as major technology firms including Amazon, Google, and Microsoft increasingly turn to nuclear energy to meet the continuous, carbon-free power demands of their expanding data infrastructure.
NextEra Energy’s Chief Executive John Ketchum said the project represents “an important milestone” for the company and “accelerates the development of next-generation nuclear technology.” The plant, Iowa’s only nuclear facility, was decommissioned in 2020 after 45 years of operation.
Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, said the partnership “serves as a model for the investments needed across the country to build energy capacity and deliver reliable, clean power while creating jobs that will drive the AI-driven economy.”
NextEra also announced it had acquired full ownership of the Duane Arnold Energy Center by purchasing the remaining 30% stake held by the Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative. The cooperative will continue to buy a share of the plant’s electricity output under the same terms as Google.
If successful, Duane Arnold would become one of the first U.S. nuclear plants to be brought back online after decommissioning — signalling growing private sector support for nuclear power as a cornerstone of the clean energy transition.
