NextEra Energy는 미국 에너지부로부터 19억 달러의 대출을 확보했으며, 이는 아이오와주 린군에 위치한 Duane Arnold 원자력 발전소를 재가동하기 위한 것으로, 해당 발전소는 Google과 장기 전력 구매 계약(PPA)을 체결하고 있습니다.

NextEra Energy has secured a $1.9 billion loan from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Dominance Financing (EDF) to support the restart of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Linn County, Iowa. The financing is tied to a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Google.

The facility, Iowa’s only nuclear energy project, first entered service in February 1975. It was shut down after the 2020 Midwest derecho—a straight-line windstorm—damaged its cooling towers. Repairs were ultimately deemed uneconomical, leading to the plant’s closure.

Reports emerged in 2024 that NextEra was evaluating a restart of the 615MW plant, following Microsoft’s announcement that it would purchase 100 percent of the output from a revived Three Mile Island nuclear facility in Pennsylvania. In October, NextEra confirmed it had signed a 25-year PPA with Google, with the plant expected to begin delivering power by 2029.

According to the DOE, the loan will finance the restart and represents the third EDF loan dedicated to reviving a nuclear plant in the United States. The others include the Crane Clean Energy Center (Three Mile Island Unit 1), which received a $1 billion loan, and the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert Township, Michigan, which secured $1.52 billion.

“President Trump has set an ambitious course to restore American nuclear leadership, and the restart of Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant in Iowa marks another step in advancing America’s nuclear renaissance,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy James P. Danly. “Returning 615MW of reliable baseload generation will drive down electricity costs, while supporting thousands of American jobs. This administration is pursuing a comprehensive nuclear strategy, restarting existing reactors, increasing the output of our nuclear fleet, and accelerating new construction, to build the abundant, affordable, and reliable power system required for American prosperity and reindustrialization.”

Duane Arnold joins a growing list of nuclear facilities contracted to hyperscale data center operators. Beyond Google and Microsoft, Meta signed a 20-year PPA with Constellation Energy for the full output of the 1.1GW Clinton Clean Energy Center in Clinton, Illinois. Meanwhile, AWS has secured a 1.92GW PPA with Talen Energy for energy from the 2.5GW Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania.