Overview
Iowa is executing one of the nation’s most aggressive power buildouts to serve both legacy load and new data center demand. The state’s utilities are deploying multi-hundred-megawatt solar and wind farms, restarting a retired nuclear plant with Google as anchor tenant, and adding gas peakers to cover peak demand periods. Meanwhile, MISO’s multi-year interconnection queue delays continue to constrain new generation timelines.
Generation Projects
Nuclear
NextEra plans to restart the 615 MW Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo, with Google signing a 25-year agreement for the plant’s full output. NextEra targets full operations by Q1 2029, positioning the plant as firm, 24/7 carbon-free supply for Google’s Iowa data centers.[1]
Natural Gas
MidAmerican Energy filed with the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) for simple-cycle combustion turbines to serve as peaker capacity during high-demand periods.
- Adair County site: 465 MW across two units[2][3]
- Orient Energy Center: an additional 465 MW beginning in 2028[2][3]
Solar
Iowa utilities are deploying hundreds of megawatts of new solar across multiple sites.
- MidAmerican multi-site solar: Up to 800 MW across Iowa, filed with the IUC[2]
- Alliant/NextEra Duane Arnold Solar Project: 200 MW solar plus 75 MW battery storage from Phase I/II of a planned 400 MW buildout on or near the former Duane Arnold nuclear site in Linn County[4]
Wind
- Meta-supported wind build: 225 MW of new renewable energy tied to Meta’s Altoona data center load, executed with MidAmerican Energy[5]
Transmission and Grid
Iowa sits inside MISO’s Tranche 1 long-range transmission plan, which includes 18 regional projects touching the state.
- ITC Midwest 345/161 kV rebuild: $221 million project approved by the IUC, building 345 kV and 161 kV transmission segments totaling about 60.58 miles and 33.76 miles, respectively, through Marshall, Tama, Benton, and Linn counties. ITC has two years to construct the line, which runs through eastern Iowa corridors serving Cedar Rapids load growth.[6]
- MISO Tranche 1: Three lines entirely in Iowa and two that partially cross the state, part of a portfolio totaling over 2,000 miles of new transmission with $10.4 billion estimated cost. The plan enables 8,158 MW of new renewable and storage capacity in Iowa.[7]
Battery Storage
- Duane Arnold Solar Project storage: 75 MW of battery storage paired with the Duane Arnold Solar Project, acquired by Alliant Energy from NextEra Energy Resources. This remains Iowa’s best-documented utility-scale storage project tied to a large power site.[4]
Data Center Power Agreements
Iowa has multiple documented PPAs (power purchase agreements) between utilities and tech companies.
- Google + MidAmerican wind PPA: Up to 407 MW of wind energy for Google’s Iowa data center operations[8]
- Google + NextEra nuclear PPA: 25-year agreement for the full 615 MW output of the Duane Arnold restart, positioned as 24/7 carbon-free supply[1]
- Meta renewable matching: Meta reports its Altoona data center load is matched with 100% clean and renewable energy, including a supported 225 MW Iowa wind build[5]
Interconnection Queue
MISO’s December 2024 queue update reports that study cycles are taking 3-4 years, well beyond the one-year tariff timeline. MISO attributes delays to backlog volume, large-load additions, and supply chain and permitting friction. MISO is responding with a proposed Queue Volume Cap and an Expedited Resource Adequacy Study (ERAS) process, but expects multi-year timelines before the queue returns to a one-year cycle.[9]
What to Watch
- Duane Arnold restart timeline — NextEra targets Q1 2029, but nuclear restarts are complex and subject to NRC oversight
- IUC decisions on MidAmerican’s multi-site solar buildout and Adair County gas peakers
- MISO Tranche 1 transmission construction timelines and cost updates
Sources
[1] NextEra Energy, “NextEra Energy and Google Announce New Collaboration to Accelerate Nuclear Energy Deployment in the U.S.,” October 27, 2025, https://www.investor.nexteraenergy.com/news-and-events/news-releases/2025/10-27-2025-203948689 (accessed January 8, 2026).
[2] MidAmerican Energy, “MidAmerican releases long-term plan to meet projected Iowa economic and customer demand growth with reliable and affordable energy,” February 17, 2025, https://www.midamericanenergy.com/newsroom/2025-generation-projects (accessed January 8, 2026).
[3] MidAmerican Energy, “Orient Energy Center Fact Sheet,” n.d., https://www.midamericanenergy.com/media/pdf/orient_energy_center_fact_sheet.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).
[4] Alliant Energy Corporation, “Alliant Energy announces plans for largest solar and battery facility in Iowa,” November 2, 2021, https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/11/02/2325086/0/en/Alliant-Energy-announces-plans-for-largest-solar-and-battery-facility-in-Iowa.html (accessed January 8, 2026).
[5] Meta, “Meta’s Altoona Data Center,” February 2025, https://datacenters.atmeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Meta_s-Altoona-Data-Center.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).
[6] Iowa Utilities Commission, “IUC issues decision in ITC Midwest electric transmission line docket,” December 1, 2025, https://iuc.iowa.gov/press-release/2025-12-01/iuc-issues-decision-itc-midwest-electric-transmission-line-docket (accessed January 8, 2026).
[7] Iowa Environmental Council, “MISO Tranche 1 Fact Sheet,” February 7, 2023, https://www.iaenvironment.org/webres/File/MISO%20Tranche%201%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).
[8] Google, “An Earth Day treat: lots of renewable energy for our Iowa data center,” The Keyword (Google Blog), April 22, 2014, https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/an-earth-day-treat-lots-of-renewable/ (accessed January 8, 2026).
[9] Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), “Generator Interconnection Queue Update,” System Planning Committee of the Board of Directors, December 10, 2024, https://cdn.misoenergy.org/20241210%20System%20Planning%20Committee%20of%20the%20BOD%20Item%2004%20Generator%20Interconnection%20Queue%20Update665714.pdf (accessed January 8, 2026).