Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant to close in 2020

• 5 years ago (2018-07-30)
• David Flin

North America 1004 Nuclear 643

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NextEra Energy Resources has announced that it has reached agreement to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), a 615 MW nuclear power plant in Iowa, USA, before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission until 2034. However, it had been expected that the plant would be closed in 2025 when the PPA with Alliant was originally due to end.

If the agreement to cut five years from the term of the PPA is approved by the Iowa Utilities Board, Alliant would pay NextEra $110 million in September 2020. In addition, NextEra would supply Alliant with around 340 MW of wind energy from four of its repowered Iowa wind facilities under other PPAs.

NextEra plans to invest $650 million in existing and new renewables generation across Iowa by the end of 2020, including $250 million to repower the four wind facilities that are part of the deal with Alliant. NextEra said that it is evaluating redevelopment opportunities at the DAEC site, including the construction of new solar energy, battery storage, or natural gas facilities.