Duane Arnold is NextEra's 615 MW BWR, Iowa's only nuclear plant, which permanently ceased operations in August 2020 after a derecho damaged its cooling towers. NextEra is restarting it under a 25-year Google PPA, backed by a DOE loan of up to $1.9bn closed in September 2026; NRC licensing is pending and restart is targeted for early 2029.
Background: Palisades fuel loading: Holtec restart timeline and what comes next · NRC reactor licensing process, explained
Current state
| Status | Under review |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Palo, Linn County, Iowa |
| Plant | Duane Arnold |
| Operator | NextEra Energy |
| Reactor type | BWR |
| Net capacity (MWe) | 615 |
| Restart type | Retired-plant restart |
| Shut down | 2020-08-10 |
| Restart target | 2029 |
| Years offline | 6.2 |
| Regulator | NRC reviewing exemption and three licence amendment requests (hearing opportunity noticed April 2026; draft EA/FONSI out for comment to 2026-09-02); Iowa Utilities Commission generating certificate granted June 2026 |
| Offtaker | Google (25-year PPA); Central Iowa Power Cooperative buys the remainder |
| Public funding | DOE Office of Energy Dominance Financing loan of up to $1.9bn (closed 2026-09-08) |
Notes
Capacity: DOE/Corridor 615 MW; WNN gives 610 MWe. NextEra agreed to buy CIPCO and Corn Belt's combined 30% stake to reach 100% ownership.
Timeline
- 2020-08-10 — Duane Arnold permanently ceased power operations after derecho damage, ahead of a planned October 2020 retirement. (source)
- 2025-08 — FERC approved a waiver allowing use of MISO's generator replacement process at the site. (source)
- 2025-10-27 — NextEra and Google announced a 25-year PPA underpinning the restart. (source)
- 2026-04-23 — The NRC announced an opportunity to request a hearing on the restart licence amendments. (source)
- 2026-06 — The Iowa Utilities Commission granted a generating certificate for the restart. (source)
- 2026-09-08 — DOE closed a loan of up to $1.9bn to NextEra for the restart. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
Also tracked
NNN coverage
About NextEra Energy
About Duane Arnold Energy Center
- Google buys Loviisa nuclear power: 22-year PPA with Fortum to 2050 2026-09-12
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- NRC finds two Green radiation-safety lapses during Palisades restart 2026-09-05
- The nuclear decommissioning market in 2026: size, players, pipeline 2026-07-14
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Sources
- Duane Arnold (EDF project) — U.S. Department of Energy (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Shuttered nuclear plant in Iowa gets $1.9B federal loan to restart — Canary Media, checked 2026-10-11
- Duane Arnold restart underpins NextEra Energy and Google collaboration — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Iowa regulators clear key hurdle for Duane Arnold nuclear restart — but federal approvals remain — Corridor Business Journal, checked 2026-10-11
- NRC Announces Opportunity to Request Hearing for Duane Arnold Energy Center Restart License Amendments — U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Comment of M. McKinzie et al. (NRDC) on Duane Arnold licence transfer, Docket NRC-2026-0298 — NRDC via NRC ADAMS (primary), checked 2026-10-11
- Duane Arnold Energy Center; Draft Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact — U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (regulations.gov) (primary), checked 2026-10-11