Electric power transmission pylon miniatures and Nextera Energy logo are seen in this illustration taken, December 9, 2022.
The push for large-scale electricity to support artificial-intelligence operations has increased attention on nuclear reactors in the United States. These facilities provide steady, high-volume energy with nearly zero carbon emissions.
Under the agreement, the 615-megawatt plant near Cedar Rapids will resume operations in early 2029. Google has committed to a 25-year contract to purchase power from the facility.
NextEra Energy shares increased more than 1% to $87.24 in after-hours trading.
This development follows a separate plan to restart the former Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania, owned by Constellation Energy, to supply Microsoft (MSFT.O) data centers.
Google, Microsoft, Amazon (AMZN.O), and other major cloud-computing providers have recently signed deals to secure future output from advanced nuclear systems, including fusion and small modular reactors.
NextEra and Google also plan to collaborate on new nuclear technologies, the companies stated.
“Restarting Duane Arnold marks an important milestone for NextEra Energy,” said CEO John Ketchum. “Our partnership with Google not only brings nuclear energy back to Iowa — it also accelerates the development of next-generation nuclear technology.”
The Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa’s only nuclear plant, operated for 45 years before shutting down in 2020. Although three restart projects are now in progress across the U.S.—including one in Michigan without a technology partnership—no closed nuclear plant has yet returned to service.
“This partnership serves as a model for the investments needed across the country to build energy capacity and deliver reliable, clean power, while protecting affordability and creating jobs that will drive the AI-driven economy,” said Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google.
Central Iowa Power Cooperative, a minority owner of the plant, will buy the remaining output under the same terms as Google, according to NextEra. The company has also reached agreements to acquire the 30% stake held by Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, raising NextEra’s ownership to 100%.
