The Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously Monday night to recommend approval of the NextEra Duane Arnold Energy Center’s rezoning to the Board of Supervisors.
In October, NextEra announced a partnership with Google to restart the plant to power data center operations.
The overwhelming majority of the output will go to power Google’s artificial intelligence and cloud operations, with a portion going to Iowa consumers.
This zoning vote puts the nuclear power facility one step closer to restarting – though the company still needs approval from entities like the Linn County Board of Supervisors and most importantly, the national level Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The facility is currently zoned for agriculture, but the county board of supervisors’ final approval would create an exclusive use zone.
According to Charlie Nichols, the county’s planning and development director, the plant did not have a specific nuclear power zone or standards when it first became operational in 1975. The plant closed in 2020.
“There are no example ordinances around the county for us to borrow from,” said Nichols. “The period of time when nuclear power plants were constructed in the 50s and 60s, there wasn’t developed zoning code. So, we crafted what I believe is a first in the nation zoning code for nuclear power generation facilities.”
Former employees of the Duane Arnold Energy Center spoke in support of restarting the nuclear plant at the meeting. Other community members also expressed their desire to see clean energy and economic development in the county.
“We often talk about ‘brain drain’ from Iowa, where our kids and grandkids choose to leave the state to start their careers and families,” said former employee Doug Blair. “The recommissioning and restart of DAEC is a great example of how to stem that ‘brain drain’ and give our young people a great option to stay or come back to Iowa.“
According to NextEra, which is the current majority owner that is seeking 100% ownership of the plant, the reopening will create nearly 400 jobs.
A presentation during the meeting also stated the reopening would generate more than $2 million in tax revenue for the county and school districts.
“This power plant hits on both economic development and alternative sources of energy, so it does advance our comprehensive plan,” said Nichols.
NextEra says they plan to have the plant operational by late 2028 or early 2029.
The company has told TV9 that Google is paying to get the plant back online to power the growth of their AI technology.
Mike Sadler II, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission, spoke to the economic benefits.
“Those data centers are going up all over the country, why not Linn County get some of the [good] out of it as well, as well as Cedar Rapids?“ said Sadler.
Source: KCRG