Articles Tagged: Palo

The rezoning is a small but significant step in NextEra Energy’s efforts to restart the nuclear plant near Palo

Removal of the 200-ton generator rotor is a key milestone as the company works toward its goal of bringing the Iowa facility back online by 2029

One person was flown to the University of Iowa Hospital Saturday with serious injuries after a crash in rural Palo, according to a press release from the Linn County Sheriff’s Office.

Comments can also be submitted online to the Iowa Utilities Commission.

The growing number of data centers in Iowa and across the country speaks to spiking demands for artificial intelligence, cloud computing and other digital services.

Tech giant Google plans to purchase energy from the Duane Arnold Energy Center as part of a larger 25-year agreement with the nuclear plant’s owner, NextEra energy.

The use of cameras by law enforcement to automatically scan license plates and record vehicle information in an online database was limited in Eastern Iowa just a few years ago. But in recent years, the cameras have become a hot button issue on city council agendas across Linn and Johnson counties.

Tech giant Google has approached Linn County officials about a proposed data center project near Palo. The county is taking several steps to inform discussions around how data centers could affect things like zoning, water availability.

Iowa’s only nuclear plant could return — and with it, hundreds of high-wage jobs, a multi-year construction surge and new housing demand. Palo and Center Point businesses, union leaders and city officials say the economic ripple would be significant.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has approved NextEra Energy’s request for a waiver allowing the company to move forward with plans to recommission the shuttered Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in Palo.

The Linn County Board of Supervisors has unanimously advanced a proposal to add nuclear energy generation to the county’s zoning code.

Public input on the matter will be accepted at the board’s next three meetings.

NextEra representatives, during a meeting with nuclear regulators Thursday, said the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, which closed in 2020, needs “a few major pieces of equipment” before it can restart, including cooling towers, the restoration of transmission lines, new offices, warehouse buildings and a new sewage treatment system.

The commission unanimously approved the draft code at its Monday meeting. Now, it heads to the Board of Supervisors.

Linn County is seeking citizen feedback on its proposed nuclear zoning code ahead of next week’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.