NextEra Energy Foundation and Duane Arnold Energy Center mark Nuclear Science Week with $25,000 gift to support STEM education in local schools

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Oct 24, 2017, 09:00 ET

JUNO BEACH, Fla., Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The NextEra Energy Foundation and NextEra Energy's Duane Arnold Energy Center have announced a $25,000 donation to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education in schools in the Cedar Rapids, Iowa, area. The donation, on behalf of Iowa's only nuclear power plant, will help update and improve science learning in middle school classrooms.

The funding will help the Grant Wood Area Education Agency upgrade science kits that are used to help middle school students get hands-on science education. The kits also help provide materials for teachers to be able to teach children lessons related to STEM in a fun and interactive way. NextEra Energy representatives recently presented the funding to Grant Wood AEA at a special ceremony at Springville Secondary School.

"NextEra Energy is committed to supporting the growth of STEM in local schools," said Duane Arnold Energy Center Site Director Dean Curtland. "These students are the scientists and engineers of the future, and we're proud to support them right here in Iowa."

"This generous donation from NextEra Energy will help us update our science program and reach more students in Iowa," said Grant Wood AEA Science Consultant Kathy Schultz. "The continued support of this program is an investment in our state, and will help support Iowa's long-term workforce."

The donation was made during Nuclear Science Week, which celebrates all the innovations and opportunities associated with nuclear science. In addition to supporting STEM education, NextEra Energy Duane Arnold supports more than $250 million in economic activity in Iowa each year and more than $500 million of activity in the U.S. economy. Duane Arnold also employs 550 people full time and numerous support staff for refueling outages and special projects in the Cedar Rapids area.

NextEra Energy's charitable foundation donates millions of dollars each year to projects and programs that contribute to the health and well-being of the communities we serve.

NextEra Energy Resources
NextEra Energy Resources, LLC (together with its affiliated entities, "NextEra Energy Resources"), is a clean energy leader and is one of the largest wholesale generators of electric power in the U.S., with approximately 19,990 megawatts of generating capacity, which includes megawatts associated with noncontrolling interests related to NextEra Energy Partners, LP (NYSE: NEP), primarily in 29 states and Canada as of year-end 2016. NextEra Energy Resources, together with its affiliated entities, is the world's largest generator of renewable energy from the wind and sun. The business operates clean, emissions-free nuclear power generation facilities in New Hampshire, Iowa and Wisconsin as part of the NextEra Energy nuclear fleet, which is one of the largest in the United States. NextEra Energy Resources, LLC is a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE). For more information, visit www.NextEraEnergyResources.com.

SOURCE NextEra Energy Resources, LLC