The Linn County Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday, Jan. 7 to approve the second reading of a rezoning request for the 393-acre Duane Arnold Energy Center site.
The board also approved a Host Community Agreement (HCA) between the county and NextEra Energy regarding the potential restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant, which is being pursued by NextEra.
The rezoning request would change the site’s zoning from its current agricultural designation to a new EU-2 zoning category, recently approved by the county and specifically designed to apply to nuclear energy generation facilities.
The third and final consideration of the rezoning request is set for the board’s regular meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 14.
The HCA, required under the new EU-2 zoning classification, is “a primary tool to address ongoing operational impacts associated with nuclear power production and waste storage,” said Charlie Nichols, Linn County’s planning and development director.
“There are some financial impacts to counties that host these sites,” Mr. Nichols said. “This (agreement) provides long-term financial protection for the county and the taxpayers of Linn county (and) supports emergency response, public safety and regulatory oversight.”
Under the terms of the HCA, NextEra will make an initial payment of $1.9 million to Linn County within 30 days of the plant resuming operations, should that restart be approved by state and federal regulators.
Under the agreement, that payment amount will be increased by 5% each year, Mr. Nichols said, “to keep pace with rising costs and long-term service demands for the county, so that the power of that annual payment doesn’t erode over time.”
The agreement also separates routine preparedness from emergencies – costs incurred in the event of an emergency would not be taken from the HCA, but would be reimbursed directly by NextEra. The agreement is legally binding for the life of the NRC emergency planning requirements for the plant, and is enforceable against any future owner or operator of the facility.
Approval of a separate memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the project, which covers pre-operational costs related to the plant’s restart, was tabled Wednesday. County officials had requested a slight change to the MOU, specifying that both Linn County and the county’s Emergency Management Agency (EMA) would be included as legal parties to the agreement. That change hadn’t yet been completed Wednesday, so it will be considered by the board at its meeting Jan. 14.
The Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa’s only nuclear power facility, was shut down in 2020 after 45 years of continuous operation, after the plant’s main customer, Alliant Energy, requested an early termination of its Power Purchase Agreement with the facility, citing rising power costs.
It’s now being considered for reopening due to rising power demands, fueled in large measure by power-hungry data centers. Google has approved a 25-year agreement with NextEra, the plant’s majority owner, to purchase most of the power from Duane Arnold.
NextEra officials have said they hope to have the plant restarted by late 2028 or early 2029, if plans are approved by regulators.
