Google just made a stunning move in the AI power race, partnering with NextEra Energy to bring the shuttered Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa back online by 2029. The deal signals how desperate tech giants have become for reliable, carbon-free electricity as AI workloads explode their data center power demands. This marks the second major nuclear revival project in tech, following Microsoft's Three Mile Island resurrection.
The nuclear power resurrection is happening faster than anyone predicted. Google just announced it's partnering with NextEra Energy to bring Iowa's Duane Arnold Energy Center back from the dead - a facility that's been dark since 2020 when a devastating derecho storm damaged its containment systems.
The timing isn't coincidental. Google's data center appetite has reached fever pitch as AI models demand exponentially more compute power. Traditional renewable sources like solar and wind can't match the 24/7 reliability that nuclear provides, making these dormant reactors suddenly valuable again.
NextEra has been hunting for a partner to revive Duane Arnold for over a year, and Google stepped up with a 25-year power purchase agreement that'll consume most of the plant's 615-megawatt output when it comes online in 2029. The renovated reactor will actually pump out 14 megawatts more than its original 601-megawatt design - a nice bonus from the recommissioning process.
Neither company disclosed the deal's financial terms, but industry insiders suggest these nuclear revival projects don't come cheap. Microsoft is already spending $1.6 billion to restart Constellation Energy's Three Mile Island reactor, which should fire up in 2028 with 835 megawatts of capacity. That deal established the template: tech giants with deep pockets willing to absorb massive upfront costs for long-term clean power certainty.
The Duane Arnold plant's story reads like a climate change cautionary tale. The facility was humming along fine until August 2020, when a rare derecho - essentially a land hurricane with straight-line winds - tore through Iowa and damaged the reactor's secondary containment systems designed to prevent radioactive gas releases. Rather than invest in repairs, the plant's operators decided to shutter it permanently.
Now Google's money is bringing it back to life, highlighting how AI's power hunger is reshaping America's energy landscape. The Central Iowa Power Cooperative will buy the remaining power output under similar terms, though plans to buy out both the co-op and other minority owners to streamline operations.
