Google Revives PLTN That Has Closed In Iowa, Becomes A Clean Energy Source For Data Center

Google and NextEra Energy revive nuclear power plants (PLTN) Stop Arnold in Iowa, United States (PHOTO: X @rtoinsider)

JAKARTA Google is really serious about pursuing the carbonless energy target. The tech giant announced a collaboration with NextEra Energy to revive the FARmous Arnold nuclear power plant (PLTN) in Iowa, United States, which has been closed since 2020.

NextEra has been looking for partners for more than a year to revive the reactor and is now finding a strong ally in Google, which is working to expand its green energy supply to support its growing data center fleet.

Although the value of this cooperation was not disclosed, the two companies confirmed that the project would revive the 601 megawatt-capacity reactor. Once revitalized, the capacity will even increase by around 14 additional megawatts.

NextEra targets the reactor to resume operations in 2029, with Google going to buy most of its electricity over the next 25 years. The remaining power will be sold to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, which currently still has 20% of the shares in the facility.

PLTNbak Arnold closed in 2020 after a major summer storm (derecho) damaged a secondary retaining system that functions to prevent radioactive gas leakage. Now, this revival project is expected to be a new milestone for the nuclear energy industry that is starting to rise after a long sleep.

This phenomenon is not the first time this has happened. In 2024, Microsoft also announced a collaboration with Constellation Energy to revive the reactor at the Three Mile Island a well-known location due to the 1979 nuclear incident. The project is estimated to cost $1.6 billion and is targeted to be active again in 2028.

Analysts think a move like this is a shortcut to increase nuclear power capacity without having to build a new reactor, which usually takes more than a decade. However, this kind of project still has to compete with a new natural gas plant, which also takes years to complete.

While waiting for the old reactors to rise, Google continues to accelerate investment in solar and battery energy, which can be installed in just a matter of months. This strategy accelerates the move towards their big ambition: operating the entire data center with 100% carbon free energy before 2030.

Google's move is not only about electricity, but about the future of clean, stable, and sustainable digital infrastructure a combination that could change the face of the global technology industry in the coming decade.