NextEra Energy and Google announced that they have come to an agreement to reactivate an Iowa nuclear power facility that was closed five years ago, highlighting the revival of interest in U.S. nuclear energy due to rising demand for data center electricity.

The technology sector's demand for substantial electricity for AI processing has rekindled interest in the nation's nuclear reactors, which produce significant, continuous power that is almost entirely carbon-free.

As part of NextEra's agreement with Google, the Duane Arnold Energy Center located near Cedar Rapids is set to restart operations in early 2029. The restart is supported by a 25-year contract for Google to purchase electricity from the 615-megawatt facility.

The deal comes after a comparable declaration at the old Three Mile Island nuclear facility owned by Constellation Energy in Pennsylvania to power Microsoft data centers.

Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and other hyperscalers managing extensive cloud-computing infrastructure have recently committed to purchasing future energy generated by innovative nuclear technologies, such as fusion and small modular reactors.

NextEra and Google will additionally investigate the advancement of new nuclear technology, the firms stated.

"Restarting Duane Arnold signifies a significant achievement for NextEra Energy," stated CEO John Ketchum.

"Our collaboration with Google not only reintroduces nuclear energy to Iowa, but also speeds up the advancement of next-generation nuclear technology," adds John.

The Duane Arnold Energy Center, Iowa's only nuclear facility, shut down in 2020 after 45 years of operation.

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Currently, there are three U.S. restart initiatives in progress, including a Michigan power facility that isn't linked to a technology agreement; however, no decommissioned nuclear power plant has actually been reopened.

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"This collaboration exemplifies the necessary investments nationwide to enhance energy capacity and provide dependable, clean power, while ensuring affordability and generating employment that will fuel the AI-focused economy," stated Ruth Porat, president and chief investment officer of Alphabet and Google.

Central Iowa Power Cooperative, a minority owner of the plant, will acquire the rest of the plant's output under the same conditions as Google, according to NextEra.

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The utility stated it had signed deals to purchase the 30percent stake in the Duane Arnold plant held by that cooperative and Corn Belt Power Cooperative, increasing NextEra's ownership to 100percent.