Data center profile · Palo, Linn County, Iowa (adjacent to Duane Arnold Energy Center)

Google Palo

A proposed 545-acre, six-building Google data center next to the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Palo, Iowa, still waiting on annexation, with a county rezoning moratorium in force

Proposed, pre-annexation. Google has mailed residents a letter on the 545-acre proposal but, as of Oct. 9, 2026, had not yet filed for annexation into Palo. No campus MW, rezoning, development agreement or air permit is on record.
545 acres
proposed site, six buildings
Google's letter to residents and local officials (press)
615 MWe
Duane Arnold plant being restarted, not campus load
Google buys most of its output under a 25-year PPA; restart targeted Q1 2029
Jan. 1, 2028
Linn County rezoning moratorium ends
applies to unincorporated land; board may end it early or extend
MW not disclosed
Google has given no campus energy figure
officials declined to discuss energy use or investment
OperatorGoogle
CustomerGoogle
First building in serviceOur estimate: 2029 (range 2027 to 2032).
Next deadlineOct. 22, 2026: Google public meeting at the Palo Community Center; an annexation application is expected within weeks of Oct. 9
Power

Power and the grid

Related generation and energy contracts (context, not added to campus supply)
Not used, not on record, or dropped

Getting on the grid

Who supplies what, what it costs, and what is still not public.

  1. Oct. 27, 2025
    Google signs a 25-year PPA for Duane Arnold
    Google and local officials say the Palo campus is directly related to the deal. News report · Oct. 2025
  2. June 2026
    Iowa certificate for the plant restart
    The Iowa Utilities Commission authorizes construction and operation of the restarted plant; federal NRC approvals are still required (press). News report · June 2026
  3. Sept. 8, 2026
    Federal loan closes for the restart
    NextEra says it secured a Department of Energy loan of up to $1.9 billion. News report · Sept. 2026
  4. Jan. 2028
    NRC reviews expected to run through at least Jan. 2028
    The plant's supply cannot arrive before the federal licensing is finished. News report · Sept. 2026
Permits

Permits checklist

1 granted · 3 checked, nothing on file

Approvals a campus like this normally needs, and what we found.

Risks

What could slow it down

Money

Money on record

$1.9B federal loan to NextEra for the Duane Arnold restart (funds the plant, not the campus). News report · Sept. 2026

Not on record: campus investment: not disclosed, Google declined to discuss capital cost News report · Oct. 2026

Timeline

What happened, and what is due

SitePaper trailConstructionPowerPermitsMoneyLegalUpcoming
  1. Oct. 27, 2025
    Power Google signs a 25-year power purchase agreement for the restarted Duane Arnold plant News report · Oct. 2025
  2. Feb. 18, 2026
    Permits Linn County adopts a data center ordinance for unincorporated land Local government · Oct. 2026
  3. July 1, 2026
    Permits Linn County supervisors vote 2-1 for an 18-month rezoning moratorium Local government · Oct. 2026
  4. July 20, 2026
    Permits Palo's council approves its own data center zoning class, 4-1; a resident says she plans to seek judicial review News report · Oct. 2026
  5. Sept. 8, 2026
    Money NextEra closes a Department of Energy loan of up to $1.9 billion for the plant restart News report · Sept. 2026
  6. Oct. 9, 2026
    Site Google mails residents a letter on the 545-acre proposal and says annexation filing is weeks away News report · Oct. 2026
  7. Oct. 22, 2026
    Site Google public meeting at the Palo Community Center News report · July 2026
The buildings

Specs

545 acres proposed campus, six buildings (press, from Google's letter). News report · Oct. 2026

Who is involved

Owners, partners and builders

Owners and developers
  • Google: proposed developer and PPA buyer
  • NextEra Energy: owns and is restarting Duane Arnold
  • Central Iowa Power Cooperative: takes the rest of the plant's output
Decision-makers
  • Palo City Council: annexation and zoning
  • Linn County Board of Supervisors: moratorium and county ordinance
  • Iowa Utilities Commission and U.S. NRC: plant restart approvals
Still unknown

Open questions

Where this comes from

26 records from 11 documents

Drawn from news reports and local government records, each kept with its date and source. The bar shows documents by type.

News report 10Local government 1
Evidence

Every quote behind this page

Grade key: A = the primary record itself (permit, filing, exhibit) · B = a dated official statement · C = news reporting. Map distances are our own measurements on OpenStreetMap and carry no grade. Allegations in lawsuits are marked as such in the quotes.

Power (2)
  • Duane Arnold's NRC licensing reviews are expected to run through at least January 2028, with commercial operation targeted for Q1 2029 - so the Palo campus's anchor supply cannot arrive before 2029 regardless of local ap
    “NextEra must complete a bundle of Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing actions that regulators expect to review through at least January 2028”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • 25-year PPA (signed Oct 2025): Google buys most of the restarted Duane Arnold Energy Center's output; Central Iowa Power Cooperative buys the remainder on the same terms. Restart targeted for Q1 2029. The plant's 615 MW
    “In October, the two companies signed a 25-year Power Purchase Agreement to support the restart of the 615MW Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa.”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
Money and contracts (2)
  • DOE closed a loan of up to USD 1.9 billion to NextEra Energy (Sep 8, 2026) to finance the Duane Arnold restart that underpins the Google PPA.
    “NextEra Energy (NEE.N) said on Tuesday it has secured a U.S. Department of Energy loan of up to $1.9 billion to support the restart of its Duane Arnold Energy Center in Iowa”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Power Purchase Agreement (Duane Arnold nuclear restart): ppa nuclear restart 25-year power purchase agreement signed October 2025 (announced Oct. 27-28, 2025): Google purchases the majority of the restarted Duane Arnold
    “the project is directly related to the 25-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Google and NextEra Energy, under which Google will use most of the power output from a restarted Duane Arnold Energy Center”
    News report · Oct. 2025 · grade C
Permits and government (10)
  • Linn County Board of Supervisors:
    “The Linn County Board of Supervisors approved an 18-month moratorium on accepting new applications to rezone property to the EU-3 Large-Scale Data Center Zoning District”
    Local government · Oct. 2026 · grade A
  • No annexation or rezoning application filed as of October 9, 2026; Google said the voluntary annexation process with Palo had not yet begun and it would file in the coming weeks; site remains unincorporated county land
    “That process hasn't yet begun, but Google officials said the company would file an application with Palo in the coming weeks.”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Resident Erin Jacobson said she planned to file a petition for judicial review following the July 20, 2026 Palo ordinance vote; residents repeatedly opposed the ordinance at council meetings
    “Erin Jacobson of Palo also said she felt residents haven't been heard throughout the process, and said she planned to file a petition for judicial review”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • Palo City Council:
    “the Palo City Council approved the third and final reading Monday night, July 20 of an ordinance establishing a new zoning classification for data centers”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C
  • DOE closed a loan of up to $1.9 billion to NextEra Energy on September 8, 2026 t: DOE closed up to $1.9B federal loan for the Duane Arnold restart (Sept. 8, 2026)
    “NextEra Energy has secured a $1.9bn federal loan from the Department of Energy (DOE) to fund the revival of the Duane Arnold Energy Center in Palo, Iowa”
    News report · Sept. 2026 · grade C
  • Palo adopted its own data center ordinance (third and final reading Jul 20, 2026, approved 4-1, creating an exclusive-use data center district). Google is pursuing voluntary annexation into Palo; a Google public meeting
    “the Palo City Council approved the third and final reading Monday night, July 20 of an ordinance establishing a new zoning classification for data centers”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • County code: 19113
    “the Linn County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 Wednesday, July 1, to approve an 18-month moratorium on new applications to rezone unincorporated county property”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Linn County approved its data center ordinance on February 18, 2026, requiring l: County data center ordinance (Feb. 18, 2026) + 18-month EU-3 rezoning moratorium (July 1, 2026 - Jan. 1, 2028); water study on hold amid a
    “the Linn County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 Wednesday, July 1, to approve an 18-month moratorium on new applications to rezone unincorporated county property”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • Linn County's 18-month moratorium on accepting new applications to rezone unincorporated property to the EU-3 Large-Scale Data Center district took effect Jul 1, 2026 and runs to Jan 1, 2028. The campus site is unincorpo
    “As approved, the moratorium is set to run through Jan. 1, 2028, though it could be shortened or lengthened by a vote of the board.”
    News report · July 2026 · grade C
  • The Iowa Utilities Commission issued a certificate authorizing construction and : Certificate issued for Duane Arnold restart (June 2026) - the state approval behind the Palo campus's power source
    “The Iowa Utilities Commission issued a certificate authorizing construction and operation in June 2026”
    News report · June 2026 · grade C
Site and other (1)
  • Project status: proposed
    “That process hasn't yet begun, but Google officials said the company would file an application with Palo in the coming weeks.”
    News report · Oct. 2026 · grade C