Google has announced plans to bring a nuclear facility in Iowa back online to meet the rising energy needs of its artificial intelligence infrastructure, marking a major partnership between the technology and energy sectors.
The company has teamed up with electric power firm NextEra Energy to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center, which was closed in 2020. According to a joint statement, the plant is expected to resume operations in 2029 and will supply clean power to support Google’s growing cloud and AI systems in the region.
Under a 25-year power purchase agreement, Google will buy electricity from the nuclear facility once it becomes operational. The plant will be fully owned by NextEra Energy, which has agreed to acquire all remaining shares from minority stakeholders.
“As the US enters a new era of innovation and opportunity driven by AI, this strategic collaboration aims to enable Google to grow its business needs responsibly,” the companies said in their statement, highlighting nuclear energy as a reliable and carbon-free source of power.
Artificial intelligence has become a major driver of energy consumption as tech companies race to expand their data center capacities. The International Energy Agency has predicted that global electricity demand from data centers will more than double by 2030, emphasizing the need for sustainable and large-scale power solutions.
Google is already investing in multiple initiatives to secure additional clean energy capacity. The company has partnered with Elementl Power to develop three advanced nuclear power plants across the United States as part of its long-term sustainability goals.
The announcement follows similar moves by other major technology players. In Pennsylvania, energy company Constellation is preparing to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear plant under a 20-year power agreement with Microsoft. The facility, which closed in 2019 due to economic reasons, remains known for the partial meltdown incident that occurred there in 1979.
Through these collaborations, the technology industry is signaling a clear shift toward nuclear power as a sustainable solution to fuel the next generation of artificial intelligence infrastructure.
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