Google just made history by announcing the first-ever US nuclear plant restart deal, partnering with NextEra Energy to revive Iowa's shuttered Duane Arnold Energy Center by 2029. The 25-year agreement marks a pivotal moment as tech giants scramble to secure reliable, carbon-free power for their rapidly expanding AI data centers, with the 615MW facility set to help fuel Google's artificial intelligence ambitions.
Google just pulled off something the US energy industry has never seen before - a deal to bring a dead nuclear plant back to life. The tech giant announced a 25-year partnership with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa, which went dark in 2020 after 45 years of operation. The move signals just how desperate Silicon Valley has become for reliable, round-the-clock power to feed its AI ambitions.
"We're enabling the investment to restart the plant and covering costs for the production of energy from Duane Arnold," Google explained in a company blog post announcing the deal. The arrangement will see Google purchase the majority of the plant's 615MW output when it comes back online in 2029, with the Central Iowa Power Cooperative buying whatever electricity Google doesn't need.
The timing isn't coincidental. As AI models grow more sophisticated and data centers multiply to handle the computational load, power grids are struggling to keep pace with skyrocketing electricity demand. Nuclear energy offers something solar and wind can't - consistent, carbon-free power that runs 24/7, regardless of weather conditions. That reliability has become invaluable for data centers that can't afford downtime.
But Google's undertaking will test uncharted waters. According to Reuters, no mothballed nuclear plant has ever been successfully restarted in US history. The technical challenges are immense - systems that have sat dormant for years need complete overhauls, regulatory approvals must be secured, and safety protocols updated to current standards.
The nuclear revival movement gained momentum last year when Microsoft announced plans to help resurrect Unit 1 at Three Mile Island, the infamous Pennsylvania facility that suffered a partial meltdown in 1979. That reactor, which wasn't involved in the 1979 accident, is slated to return to service in 2028 under a deal with Constellation Energy.
Google's strategy reflects a broader shift in how tech companies view energy procurement. The company describes restarting existing plants as "the fastest path to unlock large-scale nuclear power to meet AI growth in the near-term." It's a pragmatic approach that sidesteps the decade-plus timelines required to build new nuclear facilities from scratch.
