The Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo has completed its first major equipment operation in more than a decade, removing and lifting the plant’s 200-ton generator rotor as part of ongoing efforts to restart the shuttered nuclear facility.
This is the first time the complex operation has been undertaken since 2012, according to a release. NextEra Energy has been working with energy equipment manufacturing and services company GE Vernova over the past two months in preparation for the rotor’s removal, which is considered an essential step on the journey to recommissioning the plant.
The massive component left the Palo site Friday morning via rail transport to GE Vernova’s service center in Schenectady, New York, for refurbishment.
The generator rotor is a critical component of the main electrical generator that produces electricity at the 615-megawatt boiling water reactor plant.
The milestone comes as NextEra advances its plan to restart the facility, which ceased operations following the August 2020 derecho. The restart gained significant momentum in October when Google announced a 25-year power purchase agreement to supply its Iowa data centers, including one under construction in southwest Cedar Rapids and another proposed near the plant.
On Dec. 15, the Linn County Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously recommended rezoning the 393-acre site from agricultural to exclusive-use nuclear power facility designation. The Linn County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider the rezoning’s first reading at its Jan. 5 meeting.
NextEra, which is acquiring full ownership of the plant by purchasing the Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative’s combined 30% stake, projects the restart would create 880 construction jobs and 433 permanent positions while generating $3 million in annual tax revenue for Linn County.
The plant’s operating license remains valid through 2035, with NextEra seeking a 20-year extension that would authorize operations until 2054. Federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission approval is required before the plant can resume operations.
