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Duane Arnold Energy Center

Life cycle timeline consisting of 6 various stages of status (Pre-Licensing, Licensing, Construction, Operating, Operating with Intent to Decommission, Decommissioning | Potential Restart) with the current status(s) shown in color, and the other available status are greyed out

Photograph of Duane Arnold

Location: Palo, IA (8 miles NW of Cedar Rapids, IA) in Region III
Operator: NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC
Operating License: Issued - 02/22/1974
Renewed License: Issued - 12/16/2010
License Expires: 02/21/2034
Docket Number: 05000331

Reactor Type: Boiling Water Reactor
Licensed MWt: 1,912
Reactor Vendor/Type: General Electric Type 4
Containment Type: Wet, Mark I

Plant Diagram

Press Releases
Upcoming Meetings
Past Meetings

NRC Preparing to Leverage Current Regulatory Tools to Restart a Shuttered Plant

The Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC), permanently ceased operations on August 10, 2020, after more than 45 years of commercial operation. In early 2025, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (NextEra), the licensee for DAEC expressed an interest in returning the plant to an operational status and resuming commercial operation.

This effort will involve NextEra explaining how it will (1) return plant components to a status that supports safe operation; (2) restore the licensing basis of the plant to an operational status, and (3) make any upgrades necessary to meet the proposed operational licensing basis.

NRC staff will carefully review the regulatory and licensing documents for the plant, inspect new and restored components necessary to operate safely, and continue ongoing oversight to ensure sufficiency of all plant systems and programs.

To provide oversight of this effort, the NRC is developing a charter for the Duane Arnold Energy Center Restart Panel, which will guide the staff efforts to review, inspect, and confirm that DAEC is ready to be returned to an operating facility. The Restart Panel will help coordinate licensing, inspection, and oversight activities across the agency to ensure that all aspects of the DAEC restart project are meeting the NRC’s safety, security, and environmental requirements. The DAEC Restart Panel Charter will be made publicly available once it is finalized.

Licensing Actions Under Review

The licensee for the Duane Arnold Energy Center, NextEra, is pursuing several licensing actions to restore the operational licensing basis for the plant.

Regulatory Path to Reauthorize Power Operations
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Submittal ML25023A265 01/23/2025  
Kickoff Meeting N/A    
 
Request for Exemption from Certain Termination of License Requirements in 10 CFR 50.82
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Pre-Submittal Meeting N/A    
Submittal ML25023A270 01/23/2025  
Acceptance Review      
RAI Letter     Requests for additional information (RAIs) will be issued as needed for this action.  
RAI Response    
Final Documentation      
Estimated Completion   Date as included in acceptance review
 
Request to Revise Operating License and Technical Specifications to Support Resumption of Power Operations
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Pre-Submittal Meeting      
Submittal      
Acceptance Review      
RAI Letter     RAIs will be issued as needed for this action.  
RAI Response    
Final Documentation      
Estimated Completion   Date as included in acceptance review
 
Request to Revise the Administrative Technical Specifications to Support Resumption of Power Operations
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Pre-Submittal Meeting      
Submittal      
Acceptance Review      
RAI Letter     RAIs will be issued as needed for this action.
RAI Response    
Final Documentation      
Estimated Completion   Date as included in acceptance review
 
Request to Reinstate the Emergency Plan to Support Resumption of Power Operations
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Pre-Submittal Meeting      
Submittal      
Acceptance Review      
RAI Letter     RAIs will be issued as needed for this action.
RAI Response    
Final Documentation      
Estimated Completion   Date as included in acceptance review
 
Request to Update the Security Plan to Support Resumption of Power Operations
  ADAMS Accession No. Document Date Other Information
Pre-Submittal Meeting      
Submittal     RAIs will be issued as needed for this action.
Final Documentation      
Estimated Completion   Date as included in acceptance review
 

Inspection Activities

Numerous NRC inspections and other oversight activities are planned to assess NextEra’s readiness to restart the DAEC plant. In support of this effort the NRC established Inspection Manual Chapter (IMC) 2562, “Light-Water Reactor Inspection Program for Restart of Reactor Facilities Following Permanent Cessation of Power Operations.” The purpose of IMC 2562 is to:

  • Establish oversight policies, requirements, and guidance for transitioning from a decommissioning reactor facility to an operational power reactor facility subject to the Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).
  • Detail the requirements for the inspection activities and operational plant readiness to provide reasonable assurance for safe operations following reactivation of an operating license.
  • Ensure other federal agencies, state and local governments, tribal governments, the public, and other applicable stakeholders are engaged and informed.

The NRC will assemble a site-specific inspection plan related to the oversight activities necessary to assess the effectiveness of NextEra’s actions related to the potential restart of DAEC in accordance with the NRC’s health, safety, and environmental standards. The series of inspections will provide input for developing an objective and documented basis for any NRC decision to transition DAEC back to the operating reactor inspection program and resume commercial power operations.

Publicly available inspection reports from the activities completed to date related to the efforts to resume power operations at DAEC will be listed below as they become available.

Previous NRC inspection reports from the operational period for DAEC, covering the year 2000 through the shutdown date of August 10, 202, have been made available for reference on the NRC’s Inspection Reports For Operating Power Reactors public page in the Duane Arnold section. Note that these inspection reports do not cover the decommissioning activities completed to date at the site.

To sign up to receive NRC correspondence related to the DAEC decommissioning, potential restart, and inspection activities join the Duane Arnold listserv distribution by filling out the Operating Reactor Correspondence form with your email information.

Public Meetings

The NRC will engage in several pre-submittal interactions with the DAEC staff on various topics related to the potential for restart, and will continue to host public meetings related to the potential for the DAEC to resume power operations throughout the project.

Continue to check the NRC Public Meeting Page for information on any additional meetings on the Duane Arnold Restart Project and associated actions.

Additional Activities

  • NextEra is expected to provide a notice to the NRC of its intent to pursue subsequent license renewal as governed by 10 CFR 54, "Requirements for Renewal of Operating Licenses for Nuclear Power Plants." Additional information regarding the NRC’s subsequent license renewal process can be found on the NRC’s public website under the Reactor License Renewal heading.

For additional questions please use the NRC’s newly established email address for topics specifically concerning the potential restart of DAEC, which is DuaneArnoldRestartProject@nrc.gov. Correspondence sent to this address will be routed to the appropriate NRC program office as needed, including the Office of Public Affairs.

1.0 Site Identification

Decommissioning Status: SAFSTOR
Permanent Shutdown Date: 8/10/2020
Fuel Remomal Date: 10/12/2020
License No.: DPR-49
Project Manager: Marlayna Doell

2.0 Site Status Summary

The Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC) is a 1,912 MWt boiling water reactor that began operation in 1974 and is owned and operated by NextEra Energy Duane Arnold, LLC (NextEra).  DAEC had stated its intention to permanently cease power operations in October 2020, but the reactor permanently shutdown on August 10, 2020, when a derecho (a land-based hurricane) damaged non-safety related portions of the plant, including the cooling towers.

By letter dated October 12, 2020, NextEra certified that all fuel had been removed from the reactor.  NextEra submitted the DAEC Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) to the NRC on April 2, 2020.  A PSDAR public meeting was originally scheduled for July 28, 2020, but the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) caused the original meeting to be cancelled.  NRC held an in-person PSDAR public meeting near the plant in Palo, Iowa on September 28, 2021 to obtain public comments on the PSDAR.  The NRC held a virtual PSDAR public meeting on October 6, 2021, for the members of the public that were not comfortable attending an in-person meeting. In the PSDAR, NextEra stated its intention to move all of the spent nuclear fuel into dry cask storage by 2023 and place the plant into SAFSTOR, starting full decommissioning of the facility in 2075. All fuel was placed into dry cask storage within the onsite independent spent fuel storage installation (ISFSI) as of the end of April 2022.  The NRC will continue to provide licensing oversight and inspections of the plant until the plant is completely decommissioned, including inspections of the ISFSI, until the spent fuel is permanently removed from the site and the license is terminated.

Significant Decommissioning Licensing Documents:

  • Certification of Permanent Cessation of Power Operations – ML20240A067
  • Certification of Permanent Removal of Fuel from the Reactor Vessel – ML20286A317
  • Duane Arnold Post-Shutdown Decommissioning Activities Report (PSDAR) and Site-Specific Decommissioning Cost Estimate (DCE) – ML20094F603
  • Defueled Technical Specifications Application and Supplements – ML19176A356, ML19261A141, and ML19308A085
  • Defueled Technical Specifications Approval – ML20134J104
  • Exemption Request to Use the Decommissioning Trust Fund (DTF) for Spent Fuel Management Costs – ML20056E054 and ML20153A371
  • DTF Exemption Approval – ML20171A629 and ML20164A000

3.0 Major Technical or Regulatory Issues

None

4.0 Estimated Date for Closure

2080

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All decommissioning transition licensing actions are complete and the plant has moved into full decommissioning status.

Page Last Reviewed/Updated Tuesday, December 31, 2024