NextEra Energy and Google have signed a 25-year agreement to buy power from the 615 MW Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Iowa, USA, which was shut down following storm damage suffered in 2020.
NextEra said the Duane Arnold plant should be operational by Q1 2029, pending regulatory approvals for restarting it.
NextEra also said it has signed agreements to acquire Central Iowa Power Cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative’s combined 30 per cent interest in the Duane Arnold plant, leaving NextEra as the sole owner.
The PPA with Google “enables the investment to restart the plant and covers costs for the production of energy from the plant,” NextEra said. “Energy customers in Iowa will not bear any costs associated with the power Google purchases from the facility.”