It's no secret, most of us would like to stay in our own home as we age. Yet, sometimes our loved ones just need a little extra help to remain comfortable at home. That's where Always Best Care can help....we are dedicated to exceeding expectations....always
They say that your golden years are the best years of your life. For most older Americans, that's how it should be - a time to relax, reflect, and live life in a familiar place. After all, senior citizens in the U.S. have worked tirelessly to build a better economy, serve their communities, and raise families.
However, as seniors grow older, completing daily tasks like showering and enjoying activities such as visiting the historic Palo Alto County Historical Museum gets harder without someone by their side. Unfortunately, many older Americans aren't able to rely on their adult children for help. The reality in today's world is that family members do not have the skills or time to dedicate to caring for their parents. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.
Our in-home care services are for people who prefer to stay at home as they grow older but need ongoing care that family or friends cannot provide. More and more older adults prefer to live far away from long-term, institutionalized facilities and closer to the place where they feel most comfortable - their home. Home care in Palo, IA is a safe, effective way to give your loved ones the care they need when they need it the most.
Home Care Services
Service AreasSince 1996, Always Best Care has provided non-medical in-home care for seniors to help them maintain a healthy lifestyle as they get older. We are proud to have helped more than 25,000 seniors maintain higher levels of dignity and respect. We focus on providing seniors with the highest level of in-home care available so that they may live happily and independently.
Unlike some senior care companies, we genuinely want to be included in our clients' lives. We believe that personalized care is always the better option over a "one size fits all" approach. To make sure our senior clients receive the best care possible, we pair them with compassionate caregivers who understand their unique needs. That way, they may provide care accordingly without compromising their wellbeing.
The Always Best Care difference lies in life's little moments - where compassionate care and trustworthy experience come together to help seniors live a fruitful, healthy life. Whether you are an aging adult that can't quite keep up with life's daily tasks or the child of a senior who needs regular in-home services, Always Best Care is here to help.
“Always Best is OK but doesn’t seem to make up hours very well. When the”
“I knew a lady who works for Always Best Health Care that's why I chose”
“Always Best is OK but doesn’t seem to make up hours very well. When the caregiver is sick, nobody comes. I would think that they need a little more back up than they have right now. They give me a schedule, and billing is paid by Medicaid.”
“I knew a lady who works for Always Best Health Care that's why I chose it. The caregiver is very good with a very good attitude. They were able to provide the caregiver for myself immediately. She accompanies me to shopping.”
Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it is especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age.
When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.
The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.
At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one gets older, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.
To give our senior clients the best care possible, we offer a full spectrum of in-home care services:
If your senior loved one has specific care needs, our personal care services are a great choice to consider. Personal care includes the standard caregiving duties associated with companion care and includes help with tasks such as dressing and grooming. Personal care can also help individuals with chronic conditions like diabetes.
Common personal care services include assistance with:
Sometimes, seniors need helpful reminders to maintain a high quality of life at home. If you or your senior has trouble with everyday tasks like cooking, our home helper services will be very beneficial.
Common home helper care services include assistance with:
Using this kind of care is a fantastic way to make life easier for you or your senior loved one. At Always Best Care, our talented caregivers often fill the role of a companion for seniors. That way, older adults can enjoy their favorite local activities, such as visiting Memorial Park with friends while also receiving the care they need daily or weekly.
Common companionship services include:
According to AARP, more than 53 million adults living in the U.S. provide care to someone over 50 years old. Unfortunately, these caregivers experience stress, exhaustion, and even depression. Our respite care services help family caregivers address urgent obligations, spend time with their children, and enjoy nearby activities. Perhaps more importantly, respite care gives family members time to recharge and regroup. Taking personal time to de-stress reduces the risk of caregiver burnout. So, if you've always wanted to eat at the local Brogan's Pub & Grub or visit Terrace Hill Historic Site, don't feel bad. Doing so is great for both you and your loved one.
At the end of the day, our goal is to become a valuable part of your senior's daily routine. That way, we may help give them the highest quality of life possible. We know that staying at home is important for your loved one, and we are here to help make sure that is possible.
If you have been on the fence about non-medical home care, there has never been a better time than now to give your senior the care, assistance, and companionship they deserve.
Always Best Care in-home services are for older adults who prefer to stay at home but need ongoing care that friends and family cannot provide. In-home care is a safe, effective way for seniors to age gracefully in a familiar place and live independent, non-institutionalized lives. The benefits of non-medical home care are numerous. Here are just a few reasons to consider senior care services from Always Best Care:
According to AARP, 9 out of 10 seniors prefer to age in place within the comfort of their own home. With in-home care, seniors have a way to stay at home, receive the care they need, and maintain a sense of independence, improving overall wellness.
If you or a member of your family have assumed the role of caregiver for your senior loved one, you know how stressful the job can be. Between caregiver burnout and constant worry, being a family caregiver is hard. In-home care relieves your burden and gives you peace of mind knowing that your older family member is in expert hands.
Unlike nursing homes, where the staff and residents rotate frequently, seniors can foster new friendships and build bonds with their caregiver. Seniors who socialize on a regular basis are often happier, which fosters positivity and leads to increased wellbeing.
No two seniors need the same kind of in-home care assistance. That is why each of our Care Plans is tailored to meet our client's individual needs. We offer plans that cover everything from light housekeeping to more involved duties like transportation to doctor's appointments. Our Care Coordinators will work closely with you to develop a personalized plan to ensure your senior's needs are exceeded.
Always Best Care offers a full array of care options for patients at all levels of health. With our trusted elderly care services, your loved one will receive the level of care necessary for them to enjoy the highest possible quality of life.
Request More Information
While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit - something that is unavailable to many older people today.
In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a strange nursing home, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.
How much does a senior's home truly mean to them?
A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, then, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old.
With the help of elderly care in Palo, IA, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.
Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors.
Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.
For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like a nursing home. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.
More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier and more affordable to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, seniors who age in the comfort of their homes can save thousands of dollars per month.
In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, are often less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.
With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.
In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.
Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.
At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.
In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:
When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.
Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.
At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in Palo, IA understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.
Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.
Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.
While it's true that many seniors prefer to age at home, sometimes in-home care isn't the best fit. For those seniors and their families, choosing an assisted living facility makes more sense. Unfortunately, finding the optimal care facility is easier said than done in today's day and age. That's when Always Best Care's assisted living referral services begin to make a lot of sense.
Assisted living is a form of housing intended for seniors who require varying degrees of medical and personal attention. Accommodations may include single rooms, apartments, or shared living arrangements. Assisted living communities are typically designed to resemble a home-like environment and are physically constructed to encourage the independence of residents.
At assisted living communities, seniors receive help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and eating. They may also benefit from coordination of services with outside healthcare providers, and monitoring of resident activities to ensure their health, safety, and well-being. Caregivers who work at assisted living communities can also provide medication administration and personal care services for older adults.
Other services offered within assisted living communities can include some or all of the following:
At Always Best Care, our representatives can match your senior's emotional, physical, and financial needs with viable assisted living communities nearby. Results are based on comparative data, so you can select the best choice for you or your loved one.
Always Best Care works closely with local senior living communities to gain valuable knowledge that we then use to help seniors and their loved ones make informed decisions. This information can include basic care and rent, resident availability, and services provided. Because Always Best Care is compensated by these communities, we provide senior living referral services at no extra cost to you.
Some of the most popular assisted living communities to consider in our area include the following:
For many seniors, moving into a senior living community revolves around how and when they want to make a transition to more involved care. Some seniors are more proactive about transitioning to independent living. Others choose to remain home until their care needs or other requirements are satisfied. Remember - our staff is here to help. Contact our office today to learn more about assisted living communities and how we can find a facility that exceeds your expectations.
The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Always Best Care Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:
A discussion of your needs and how our trained caregivers can offer assistance in the most effective way
A draft of your care plan, which includes highly detailed notes and a framework for the care that you or your senior will receive
Discuss payment options and help coordinate billing with your insurance provider
Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.
If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.
At the end of the day, we only hire the best of the best at Always Best Care. Whether you need home care in Palo, IA 24-hours a day or only need a respite for a couple of hours, we are here to serve you.
When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.
NextEra Energy, which has been eyeing the reopening of its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant near Palo, is conducting engineering studies and speaking with federal regulators about the possible restart, company executives say....
NextEra Energy, which has been eyeing the reopening of its Duane Arnold nuclear power plant near Palo, is conducting engineering studies and speaking with federal regulators about the possible restart, company executives say.
Growing power demand from AI data centers and the electrification of buildings and transportation has propelled the country's electric utility industry and led to unprecedented power contracts.
NextEra is assessing the Duane Arnold plant, which was Iowa's only nuclear power station until its 2020 shutdown, and speaking with regulators with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and local groups, CEO John Ketchum said on a company earnings call Wednesday.
"We're very interested in recommissioning the plant," said Ketchum, adding that the site northwest of Cedar Rapids uses a boiling water reactor, which can be simpler than other systems to revive.
"That gives us optimism of being able to do this at an attractive price and without as much risk," he said.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
After struggling for decades with poor economics and safety concerns that led 13 reactors to shut since 2012, the nuclear industry is experiencing a revival driven by a sudden turnaround in electricity demand.
Two other shuttered U.S. nuclear power plants, including Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, site of the worst nuclear accident in the nation's history, are in the process of being restarted. If the plants are resurrected, they will represent the first relaunches of retired reactors.
The longer a nuclear plant is shut, the higher the chances that corrosion and other issues that could prevent a restart, and analysts broadly project that only a few of the country's mothballed nuclear sites could be relaunched.
More:Energy-hungry cryptocurrency mining is growing in Iowa. Will it help or hurt the state?
"We think NextEra's Duane Arnold nuclear plant is among those in the U.S. that is most likely to restart given it closed fairly recently," said Mike Doyle, senior equity analyst for utilities at Edward Jones, citing the plant's August 2020 closure.
Still, NextEra said it was focused on growing its renewable energy business. Nuclear power uses uranium to produce carbon-free electricity and is not renewable like wind and solar power.
NextEra, which has the world's largest renewables business and is one of the biggest U.S. regulated electric utilities, has entered into "incremental framework agreements" to develop 10.3 gigawatts of renewable energy and storage.
The company's third-quarter profit beat Wall Street estimates, helped by strength in its renewables unit. The S&P index tracking utilities .jumped 18.4% in the third quarter, compared to a 5.5% rise in the S&P 50.
NextEra's renewables arm, NextEra Energy Resources, projected a backlog of 24 gigawatts in the third quarter, up from nearly 22.6 in the second quarter.
The company's regulated utilities business, Florida Power & Light, reported net income of $1.29 billion compared with $1.18 billion a year earlier.
NextEra's overall quarterly revenue of $7.57 billion, however, missed estimates of around $8.10 billion, according to analysts' estimates compiled by LSEG.
The company, which is based in Florida, maintained its 2024 adjusted earnings-per-share forecast. Executives said they expect EPS in 2025 to be in a range of $3.45 to $3.70.
On an adjusted basis, NextEra earned $1.03 per share in the quarter, compared with an estimate of 98 cents, according to data compiled by LSEG.
NextEra Energy Partners, a unit of the company created to acquire, manage and own contracted energy projects, said it would repower an additional 225 megawatts of wind facilities, bringing the total backlog of wind repowerings to around 1.6 gigawatts through 2026. Repowering upgrades existing wind farms to produce more power from the sites.
However, the unit reported a loss of $40 million due to higher interest payments and a loss on some continuing operations, compared to year-ago net income of $53 million. Its shares were down 11.5% in early morning trade.
Plant near Palo among three facilities seeking federal OKJared Strong Why you can trust The Gazette The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.Shuttered nuclear power plants have never been restarted in the United States, but the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo is poised to be among the few t...
Plant near Palo among three facilities seeking federal OK
The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
Shuttered nuclear power plants have never been restarted in the United States, but the Duane Arnold Energy Center near Palo is poised to be among the few that try.
Its owner, NextEra Energy, hopes to finish its restoration of the facility that closed in 2020 in about three years, and resume operation in the final three months of 2028, according to documents it filed with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Two other companies are engaged in similar restart efforts -- in Michigan and Pennsylvania -- and one of them might be online later this year.
"NextEra is monitoring the progress made by (the other companies) and will make adjustments as appropriate, based on lessons learned from those precedential actions," the company said in its regulatory filings.
The Duane Arnold site, if restarted, would have power output comparable with the smallest commercial nuclear power plant in the country -- a single reactor facility in New York that has a maximum output capacity of 614 megawatts.
Duane Arnold's is 615 megawatts. It is the only such facility in Iowa.
There are 54 commercial nuclear power plants in operation in the United States. The largest is in Georgia, with four reactors and a rated capacity of about 4,700 megawatts, or more than seven times the capacity of Duane Arnold.
Duane Arnold's relatively low output -- which makes the plant more expensive to operate per megawatt than others -- combined with the accelerated adoption of wind power in Iowa, led NextEra to start decommissioning the facility in 2020. It ceased operation that August, after that year’s derecho damaged its cooling towers.
The company has since installed solar arrays at the site, which it will operate for Alliant Energy. The arrays can produce about a third of the total electrical output of the nuclear facility.
The interest in restarting Duane Arnold and other nuclear sites has been spurred by an uptick in the demand for electricity, driven by power-hungry data centers. Two are planned for Cedar Rapids.
The site has a capacity that is equivalent to about 2 percent of the total electrical generation in Iowa, according to state data.
The Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan is poised to be the first to restart after launching a decommissioning process.
It is several years older than Duane Arnold -- having started operation in 1971 -- but it has a higher output potential at about 800 megawatts.
It also started decommissioning later, in 2022. It was purchased by Holtec International, which started the recommissioning process less than a year later.
Holtec has indicated it would expand the site by adding two more reactors over the next decade. It cited strong support from Michigan state officials and the federal government for that decision.
The U.S. Department of Energy is backing a $1.5 billion loan to the company to restart the plant, and the state of Michigan gave it $300 million in the past two years.
It's unclear what financial assistance Duane Arnold might receive in Iowa. A spokesperson for the company did not respond to a request to comment for this article.
Gov. Kim Reynolds said last month the potential for nuclear energy in Iowa "is amazing" and pledged to create a task force to support it. She noted that luring qualified employees -- such as nuclear engineers -- to Iowa is a potential challenge.
NextEra, in it correspondence with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said it "has developed a staffing plan that will gradually increase site and fleet staff to support initial inspections, facility renovations, and finally startup and operations."
Duane Arnold employed more than 500 people when it was operational. NextEra said its annual payroll was about $85 million.
NextEra has said the facility is in good shape, aside from cooling towers that were damaged by the 2020 derecho. The commission has not yet published recent inspection information about the site.
An early inspection of the Palisades plant in Michigan identified "a large number" of heat transfer tubes that needed further analysis or repair. The fission power plants generate heat to turn water into steam, which drives turbines to create electricity.
The other nuclear power plant that might restart is in Pennsylvania. It began operation in 1974 -- the same year as Duane Arnold -- and began decommissioning in 2019.
The Three Mile Island Nuclear Station -- now called the Crane Clean Energy Center -- had a maximum output of 835 megawatts. Its owner started the recommissioning process in November 2024.
"Preliminary evaluations of key plant equipment have determined that the equipment is in good condition and can be restored without significant modifications," its owner, Constellation Energy Corporation, wrote to the commission.
There was a second reactor at the site that had a partial meltdown in 1979 and was not restarted.
The commission has created "restart panels" of experts to guide the recommissioning processes for each of the three power plants.
Comments: (319) 368-8541; [email protected]
NextEra Energy says it has taken the first steps to recommission Iowa's only nuclear energy plant, with operations possibly restarting by late 2028.NextEra CEO John Ketchum in an earnings call Friday morning called recommissioning the 600-megawatt Duane Arnold nuclear plant near Palo in eastern ...
NextEra Energy says it has taken the first steps to recommission Iowa's only nuclear energy plant, with operations possibly restarting by late 2028.
NextEra CEO John Ketchum in an earnings call Friday morning called recommissioning the 600-megawatt Duane Arnold nuclear plant near Palo in eastern Iowa a relatively speedy option for meeting the nation's rapidly growing energy demand, which he said is expected to climb "80% over the next five years and six-fold over the next 20 years."
"There are only a few nuclear plants that can be recommissioned in the near term in an economic way," Ketchum said.
NextEra Energy Resources filed notice with Nuclear Regulatory Commission that it will request a licensing change at Duane Arnold, "an important first step in establishing the regulatory pathway to restore the facility’s operating license and potentially restart plant operations as early as the end of 2028," he said.
"While this is just one part of our broader efforts with regulators, government officials, potential customers and other stakeholders, we're encouraged by the positive response we've received so far," he said.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Earlier this month, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an executive order establishing a task force to make recommendations about moving forward with nuclear energy, saying the state needs to keep up with the growing energy demand from burgeoning Iowa data centers that power artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.
More:Altoona bet on a mega Meta tax break. New property tax cuts may rob city of its big payoff
Large utilities are scrambling to restart closed nuclear plants to meet growing demand from tech companies such as Facebook, Google and Apple.
Maryland-based Constellation Energy, for example, plans to restart an undamaged reactor at Pennsylvania's Three Mile Island nuclear plant, the site in 1979 of the largest nuclear meltdown in U.S. history.
It would provide 835 megawatts to serve Microsoft Corp.'s data center energy needs over the next two decades. Repowering Three Mile Island is expected to cost $1.6 billion, the utility estimates.
Iowa has become a data center hub, with companies attracted by the state’s wealth of low-cost, clean energy.
Since 2007, companies like Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Apple have invested $12.3 billion in large data center projects in Iowa, which gets 60% of its energy from wind, the largest share of any state.
On Friday, Ketchum declined to say how much it would cost to restart Duane Arnold, adding that Florida-based NextEra has "more work to do," including holding discussions with potential energy customers.
"I'm not going to put a cost estimate out there that would hurt our negotiating position," he said.
"Rest assured that we are in active discussions with customers," said Ketchum, who has described them in the past as data centers. "Today, there's a lot of interest in the plant as we look forward."
NextEra closed Duane Arnold in 2020 after a derecho that year caused extensive damage to its since-dismantled cooling towers. But Ketcham said the "reactor itself is in good shape."
Rebuilding the towers is "run of the mill," he said.
"You build them at gas plants. You build them at nuclear facilities as well. That's pretty conventional construction," he said, with "not a whole lot of risk."
He said the nation's growing energy needs are going to need "all-of-the-above solutions."
"We can't afford to take any options off the table. We're going to need gas, we're going to need nuclear, we're going to need renewables," he said, adding that energy storage also will be important.
"But we can't wait, because that demand is here today," he said, comparing the technologies driving rising energy demand to "the industrial revolution."
Last month, Meta, Facebook's parent, asked developers to explore building 1 gigawatt to 4 gigawatts of dedicated nuclear power “to help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives.” One gigawatt is enough energy to power about 750,000 homes.
Ketchum said the company continues to evaluate alternatives such as small nuclear reactors, but "due to the risk and uncertainty, the practical reality is we're unlikely to add multiple gigawatts of new nuclear to the grid over the next decade."
Some local leaders have said NextEra, along with rebuilding Duane Arnold's cooling towers, will need to shore up trust among Palo's 1,500 residents.
While the proposal to restart the plant has "created a pretty positive buzz around town," Palo Mayor Eric Van Kerckhove said last month, many there remain angry over NextEra's construction of a $300 million solar farm nearby, expressing concerns about issues including the installation's use of valuable land and its proximity to residential areas.
Reynolds said she wants the nuclear task force to be comprised of experts who can help secure local support, addressing questions such as the permitting process and workforce challenges.
Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at [email protected].
877-292-2126
