The company that owns the only nuclear power plant in Iowa — located near Palo — indicated Friday it might restart the facility by the end of 2028.
NextEra Energy Resources said it has filed a request with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to potentially restore the Duane Arnold Energy Center's operating license.
"We are in active discussions with customers today," John Ketchum, the chief executive of NextEra, said during an earnings call Friday. "There's a lot of interest in the plant as we look forward."
The 50-year-old facility was decommissioned in 2020 amid the rise of wind and solar energy production in Iowa.
Its shuttering was hastened by a derecho that year that damaged parts of the facility and cut electricity to the facility from outside sources for about 25 hours.
The plant safely shut down using electricity from backup generators at the site, despite damage to the generators' cooling system from the storm, according to an analysis by the commission.
The storm's wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour severely damaged the facility's cooling towers and caused minor damage to its reactor, turbine and the buildings that protect its emergency equipment, the analysis noted.
ADVERTISING
Despite that, the facility "is really in good shape," Ketchum said.
"The only damage that we ever sustained at Duane Arnold was the derecho that took down the cooling tower," he said. "But building a cooling tower is run-of-the-mill."
www.thegazette.com
The construction of data centers in Iowa has renewed demand for electricity from the site, Ketchum has said.
NextEra Energy Resources said it has filed a request with the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission to potentially restore the Duane Arnold Energy Center's operating license.
"We are in active discussions with customers today," John Ketchum, the chief executive of NextEra, said during an earnings call Friday. "There's a lot of interest in the plant as we look forward."
The 50-year-old facility was decommissioned in 2020 amid the rise of wind and solar energy production in Iowa.
Its shuttering was hastened by a derecho that year that damaged parts of the facility and cut electricity to the facility from outside sources for about 25 hours.
The plant safely shut down using electricity from backup generators at the site, despite damage to the generators' cooling system from the storm, according to an analysis by the commission.
The storm's wind speeds of up to 140 miles per hour severely damaged the facility's cooling towers and caused minor damage to its reactor, turbine and the buildings that protect its emergency equipment, the analysis noted.
ADVERTISING
Despite that, the facility "is really in good shape," Ketchum said.
"The only damage that we ever sustained at Duane Arnold was the derecho that took down the cooling tower," he said. "But building a cooling tower is run-of-the-mill."
NextEra might restart Duane Arnold nuclear plant by 2028
The company that owns the only nuclear power plant in Iowa — located near Palo — indicated Friday it has moved to restore the site’s operating license.
www.thegazette.com
