A 615-megawatt reactor lost its cooling towers, its transformer and its power lines to a teardown crew, so rebuilding all three to get it on the grid by early 2029 takes up to $1.9 billion in federal

Key Points:

• The U.S. Department of Energy approved a $1.9 billion loan for restarting the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa, the largest loan for a nuclear plant restart to date, despite the plant being the smallest of the three restarts financed by the department.
• The higher loan amount is attributed to significant dismantling at Duane Arnold, including removal of cooling towers, transformers, transmission lines, and other major systems, which increases the complexity and cost of the restart.
• The restart project is underway with construction active on site, but the plant’s license renewal is still pending, with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission expected to make licensing decisions by January 2028; the current license expires in early 2034.
• The project is expected to generate substantial economic benefits for Linn County, Iowa, including over 1,000 jobs, though some local residents have expressed opposition to related developments such as a nearby data center.
• NextEra Energy, the plant operator, aims to have the reactor operational by late 2028 or early 2029, contingent on regulatory approval and construction progress.