In a groundbreaking move toward clean energy, Google has announced a partnership with NextEra Energy to bring the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa back to life. The nuclear power plant, which shut down in 2020 after storm damage, will be recommissioned to provide sustainable power for Google’s expanding data center operations. This marks another major step in Google’s mission to run on 100% carbon-free energy around the clock.
About the Duane Arnold Energy Center
Originally commissioned to generate 601 megawatts of electricity, the Duane Arnold plant was closed after a severe derecho storm in 2020 damaged its secondary containment system. Now, under Google and NextEra’s plan, the refurbished reactor is expected to deliver an additional 14 megawatts, increasing its total capacity and efficiency.
The facility is slated to restart operations in 2029, pending regulatory approvals and infrastructure upgrades. Once active, Google will purchase the majority of the plant’s output for 25 years, ensuring a stable and clean energy supply for its nearby data centers. The Central Iowa Power Cooperative, which currently holds a 20% stake, will receive the remaining power under similar long-term agreements.
Why Google Is Turning to Nuclear Energy
As the demand for computing power particularly AI and cloud infrastructure skyrockets, Google is under growing pressure to expand its data center capacity while maintaining its environmental commitments. Nuclear power offers a reliable, carbon-free energy source that operates 24/7, unlike intermittent renewables such as solar or wind.
This move aligns with Google’s long-term sustainability goals, including:
- Achieving net-zero emissions by 2030.
- Transitioning all operations to carbon-free energy sources.
- Reducing dependence on fossil fuels while meeting massive energy demands.
By reviving an existing reactor instead of building a new one, Google and NextEra can bring additional zero-carbon energy online faster and more efficiently, potentially saving several years compared to constructing a brand-new facility.
Tech Giants Embrace Nuclear Power
Google isn’t alone in this new energy frontier. Microsoft announced a similar partnership in 2024 with Constellation Energy to restart a reactor at Three Mile Island, a project estimated to cost $1.6 billion and expected to deliver 835 megawatts by 2028.
These initiatives signal a revival of nuclear power in the U.S., driven largely by data-hungry industries like cloud computing, AI, and hyperscale data centers. With electricity demand rebounding after more than a decade of stagnation, nuclear energy has re-emerged as a key solution for clean, scalable, and continuous power generation.
Challenges and Competition
Despite its promise, restarting nuclear plants is a long and costly process. Projects like Duane Arnold and Three Mile Island will take years of engineering, safety checks, and regulatory reviews before producing power. This puts them in direct competition with natural gas plants, which have shorter development timelines, and solar-plus-battery systems, which can be deployed within months.
However, the advantage of nuclear lies in its consistency and scale essential for powering the massive, always-on infrastructure behind AI services, cloud storage, and advanced computing.
The Road Ahead
If the Duane Arnold project proceeds as planned, the Iowa reactor will come online in 2029, marking one of the first instances of a shuttered U.S. nuclear facility being revived for tech infrastructure. The long-term agreement between Google and NextEra Energy demonstrates the private sector’s growing role in modernizing America’s clean energy grid.
This collaboration could set a precedent for how technology companies approach sustainability not just by buying renewable credits, but by directly investing in next-generation clean power sources that will shape the energy landscape for decades to come.
Google’s partnership with NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant represents a major shift in corporate clean energy strategy. As the tech giant continues to expand its AI and data center capabilities, this move reinforces its leadership in sustainable innovation.
With nuclear power making a comeback among global tech leaders, the future of clean, reliable, and large-scale energy generation may very well be rooted in reactivating the past.
