Shuttered Duane Arnold nuclear plant north of Palo may soon become the site of a 3,500-acre solar farm. Owner NextEra Energy has laid out plans to build a 690-megawatt farm to start construction by the end of 2023.

NextEra Energy Resources unit proposed to build the $700 million project, which it said on its website will create about 300 construction jobs.

Duane Arnold’s nuclear reactor was shut down in August 2020 after a massive storm damaged the plant’s cooling towers. NextEra had planned to retire the plant in October 2020.

NextEra is the world’s largest utility company and generates more wind and solar energy than any other company in the world.  To date, they operate in 27 states.