Google data centers bring nuclear power back to hurricane country

“This was one of the most significant safety events in U.S. nuclear history, and yet it did not pose a significant risk to the public,” Stein said. “This shows the power of these plants.”

Stein added that the NRC license requires that reactor buildings be built to withstand “hurricane missiles,” or large objects that collide at high speeds. “It is literally designed to safely withstand this type of event,” he said.

However, NextEra plans to increase weather-related safety measures at the reopened Duane Arnold plant.

“We look at those events and try to draw lessons learned and ask, what could make the plant safer than it is now?” NextEra consultant Michael Davis said at a public information meeting held by the Iowa Utilities Commission in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 13.

The company is considering installing a third diesel generator to provide additional backup power, and will also design replacement Duane Arnold water cooling towers with a higher threshold for wind resistance, Davis said.

Google representatives did not respond to questions about whether the damage to Duane Arnold during the 2020 derecho raises any concerns about nuclear safety during severe weather events.

The NRC’s safety requirements stipulate that applicants “take into account the most severe meteorological and seismic conditions known in the proposed area,” when selecting reactor sites, an NRC representative wrote in a statement to Inside Climate News.

“It is important to understand that nuclear plants are designed to withstand extreme environmental risks and that NRC requires plants to maintain redundant systems, components and software to be able to mitigate the loss of off-site energy events,” the NRC added.

Lucknowitz, a former Duane Arnold engineer, sees the plant’s reopening as a kind of resurrection. If the facility had not already been scheduled to be decommissioned when the hurricane struck, Duane Arnold would have been able to rebuild and continue producing power, she said.

“This plant worked exactly as it was designed. It was just a perfect storm.”