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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.
2025
Julianne McCallum
2024
Kelsey AmundsonPierre-Clement Simon
2023
Patrick J. Snouffer
2022
Alexandra Siwy
2021
Harsh S. Desai
2020
Tim CrookMatthew D. Wargon
2019
Alyse S. Huffman
2018
Brett D. Rampal
2017
Shikha Prasad
2016
Kathryn D. Huff
2015
Nicolas Stauff
2014
Rachel Slaybaugh
2013
Piyush Sabharwall
2012
Elia Merzari
2010
Arielle Jennifer Miller
Arielle Miller
2009
A. Nichole Ellis
2007
W. David Pointer
