Another shuttered nuclear power plant is getting new life, thanks to Big Tech

Google announced plans to revive a nuclear power plant that shut down in 2020, as it looks to secure enough electricity for its AI data centers.

The company announced a 25-year agreement with NextEra Energy to eventually purchase electricity from the Duane Arnold Energy Center, a 615MW nuclear plant in Iowa, when it starts operating again. “We’re enabling the investment to restart the plant and covering costs for the production of energy from Duane Arnold,” Google says in a blog post. The Central Iowa Power Cooperative will purchase remaining electricity from the plant that Google doesn’t use.

It’s the latest move by Google and other tech companies to revitalize nuclear energy in the US, which has struggled to compete with falling costs for gas, solar, and wind power over the years. As power grids scramble to keep up with growing electricity demand from AI, nuclear energy has become a more attractive option for generating carbon-free energy around-the-clock for data centers.

Duane Arnold first started generating power in 1975, and is slated to start running again in 2029. But getting it operational will be no small task; the US has never restarted a mothballed nuclear plant, Reuters reports. Microsoft announced plans last year to help revive a shuttered reactor at Three Mile Island, which is supposed to sputter back to life in 2028.

Google says that turning an old power plant back on is “the fastest path to unlock large-scale nuclear power to meet AI growth in the near-term.” The company is also working with NextEra and Kairos Power to develop next-generation nuclear reactors, but those advanced designs still face lengthy certification and permitting processes.