US closes $1.9bn loan to restart the Iowa nuclear plant powering Google

The U.S. Department of Energy approved a $1.9 billion loan to NextEra Energy to restart Iowa’s Duane Arnold Energy Center, which will operate at 615 MW—15 MW more than before—and supply power to Google under a 25-year contract. The plant, offline since 2020, aims to resume operation by late 2028 pending NRC licensing approvals, creating about 1,500 construction jobs and retaining over 450 permanent positions.