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Linn County leaders discuss application fee structure for nuclear energy projects
As presented, the application fee would include a base fee while also considering projects’ size and complexity.
Oct. 1, 2025 2:56 pm
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CEDAR RAPIDS — Under a proposal headed to the Linn County Board of Supervisors, NextEra Energy would pay up to $104,000 in application fees to rezone the land around the Duane Arnold nuclear plant.
Supervisors discussed the application fee Wednesday, and the board will formally vote on the matter next week. The fee structure would apply to any applicant looking to rezone land to the county’s new exclusive use zoning district for nuclear energy generation and/or waste storage.
Under the formula, applicants would pay a $40,000 base fee plus $100 per megawatt of energy the facility is expected to produce at full capacity.
“Nuclear power plants have a smaller footprint (than some other energy production sites), but the size of the footprint doesn’t directly correlate to the complexity of the project,” said Linn County Planning & Development Director Charlie Nichols. That’s why “what I’m suggesting here is … base fee plus an add-on of dollars per megawatt generated” rather than going by acreage.
Nichols told supervisors that the application fee would be used to cover preoperational county costs associated with nuclear projects such as facility rentals for public meetings, third party reviews of submitted project documents and/or staff training around the unique needs of nuclear facilities.
Applicants would also be expected to enter into a host community agreement with the county, which will establish an annual, inflation-adjusted payment to the county to support the various government functions and public services associated with hosting a nuclear facility.
That payment is separate from the application fee, however, and will be established on a per-project basis with payments starting once the facility is operational.
The application fee and host community agreement requirements were outlined in the county’s new nuclear zoning ordinance — which was approved in early September following several months of public meetings and feedback sessions.
Supervisors look to strike ‘balance’ with fee structure
The ordinance comes at a time when nuclear energy production is becoming more likely in Linn County.
NextEra this year announced its intent to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear energy plant near Palo, and the company since has been working with local and federal officials to take the appropriate steps toward that goal.
Under the equation discussed Wednesday, NextEra Energy would pay a $104,000 application fee for its rezoning request to account for the base fee and Duane Arnold’s nameplate capacity of 640 megawatts.
Were another nuclear project to come forward in Linn County, the application fee would fluctuate depending on its anticipated capacity.
“What I really appreciate about your math equation here is that you’ve thought through the base fee (with regard to) what the figure might look like for smaller nuclear reactors,” District 3 Supervisor Brandy Z. Meisheid told Nichols. “What you have here is really appropriate for a futuristic outlook.”
On Wednesday, Nichols presented supervisors with a range of options for the application fee’s per-megawatt consideration with recommendations ranging from $75 to $100 per nameplate megawatt.
Supervisors unanimously recommended the $100 figure, citing the overall complexity of nuclear energy projects and the additional work required of county staff to oversee the permitting process effectively.
“I do think (this equation) is a good balance between not just price gouging people who want to develop in Linn County, but at the same time ensuring we’re covered for a lot of the costs” the county could incur, said District 2 Supervisor Sami Scheetz.
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