It had been rumored that Iowa's only nuclear power plant, Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, could reopen someday. That has now been confirmed by the company that owns the plant.

The Corridor Business Journal reports that NextEra Energy Resources confirms that it is actively pursuing the recommissioning of the Duane Arnold Energy plant. The company recently filed a notice with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to request a license change. In fact, during the company's Q4 earnings call last week, the chairman and CEO of NextEra John Ketchum stated that the plant could reopen "as early as the end of 2028."

According to a transcript of the call, the CBJ reports that Ketchum stated that Duane Arnold is in "really good shape." He went on to note that the plant's reactor is in very good shape, and the only damage that the facility sustained was during the 2020 derecho to the cooling tower.

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The CBJ reports that the plant was originally to be decommissioned in 2020 after Alliant Energy exited its power purchase agreement with the plant several years early. The plant, which is now owned by NextEra Energy, is in the midst of a 60-year decommissioning period. The company's filing of a notice with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to request a license change is seen as an important first step in potentially restarting the plant according to the CBJ. 

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