(Radio Iowa) – The Linn County Board of Supervisors is discussing changing the county’s zoning code to allow nuclear energy producers to set up shop. Supervisor Sami Scheetz says it is important for the county to have an avenue to use nuclear energy.  “I think expanding that is going to be really critical, not just at our county level, but statewide and nationally, when we think about the energy demands we’re going to see from A-I and other things,” Scheetz says. NextEra Energy is in the process of trying to restart the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo to produce nuclear energy again. It was shut down after the 2020 derecho.

Duane Arnold Energy Center

County Planning and Development Director Charlie Nichols says the proposed changes give the county flexibility.  “Establishing dedicated zoning language would ensure that any future proposals, whether the Duane Arnold Energy Center or something else, are reviewed through a process that is transparent, consistent, and tied to our current county needs,” Nichols says. It was the first of three public hearings on the proposed changes.

All three supervisors voted for the ordinance that sets land use standards for nuclear energy generating facilities and waste storage sites.