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News ClipIowa Public Radio·Linn County, IA·3/19/2026
A national environmental group, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), has offered early support for the recommissioning of the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. The NRDC believes the plant is a safer option for meeting data center electrical demand compared to coal or gas-fired power generation. This support specifically backs the ownership consolidation under NextEra Energy Resources as part of the federal regulatory process.
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The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a national environmental advocacy group, has announced its early support for the project to recommission the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa. This endorsement was detailed in a comment filed by the NRDC, specifically backing the consolidation of the plant's ownership under NextEra Energy Resources. Despite the group's historical reservations about nuclear energy, Kit Kennedy, NRDC's managing director of power, climate and energy, stated that the Duane Arnold plant offers a safer alternative for fulfilling the electrical demands of data centers compared to power generated by coal or gas.
Kennedy clarified that the NRDC's involvement at this preliminary stage of the federal regulatory process is intended to establish guidelines regarding the potential benefits and crucial safety considerations associated with the plant. She underscored that the comment should be viewed as support for the ownership consolidation plan, rather than an blanket endorsement of the plant's complete restart, allowing the group to help guide the process in a positive direction.