By: Mark Glennon*
Illinois relies on nuclear energy for over half of its electricity production. The plants producing that power are mostly old and scheduled to be mothballed by 2050.
But Illinois nevertheless maintains a decades-long, total moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction.
Illinois’ shortsightedness is exceeded by its hubris. Federal government safety standards for construction and operation of nuclear plants is extraordinarily strict. How do Illinois politicians get off thinking they know better and should override those standards with their own, total moratorium?
The latest warning about Illinois’ electrical power capacity problems came last month, this time for Northern Illinois. As Crain’s reported, the power grid operator serving Northern Illinois and areas to the east warned of potential electricity shortages over the coming seven years, thanks partly state policies like Illinois’ clean-energy law that is forcing power plants to close. PJM Interconnection, the grid operator, “explicitly cites Illinois’ Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, enacted in 2021, as a contributor to the issue,” wrote Crain’s.
That report came on top of a warning last year from the grid operator for Southern and Central Illinois, MISO, which said those areas already are at “high risk” for brownouts due to capacity shortfalls. Electricity costs have already spiked 50% to 200% in much of that area.
Meanwhile, much of the world is turning towards nuclear as a clean, reliable source of energy, recognizing that new plants are far safer than in years past. The days of Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are gone. Even Japan, which suffered the most recent nuclear accident twelve years ago, is returning to nuclear power. Other nations include Germany, France, the United Kingdom, India and, of course, China.
Poland is a particularly interesting example, openly welcoming nuclear energy innovation, as reported by RealClear last week. It just signed a nuclear plant construction contract with Westinghouse, a leader worldwide in nuclear plant construction. That’s an American company. Its plants are apparently good enough for the rest of the world but not Illinois.
Even within the U.S. Illinois is falling behind. Tennessee last week started up the first new nuke in America since 2016 and is striving to become the nation’s leader on nuclear innovation. Indiana is poised to expand its size limitation on new nuclear plant construction.
One intriguing possibility for Illinois might be retrofitting old fossil fuel plants. The U.S. Department of Energy last year issued a report saying 300 present and former coal powered plants could be converted to nuclear. Seven are in Illinois, according to the report.
Nuclear energy has its skeptics, particularly on cost issues, as expressed here, for example. But ending Illinois’ moratorium would not be a judgement on those or any other issues. The point of lifting the ban would be only to allow the competition and debate to begin for the safest, cleanest and most reliable energy source available. On its current path, Illinois is betting almost entirely on wind and solar.
CEJA, Illinois’ greenest-in-the-nation green energy bill, passed in 2021, dealt with nuclear deceptively. On its surface, the bill accepts nuclear power in its goal of zero emissions by 2050. But the moratorium is in separate, older legislation left in place by CEJA. And since the existing nukes will be out of operation by then, nuclear energy is slated to end.
At least some members of both parties have seen the wisdom of ending the moratorium. In the House, Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) last year sponsored a bill to loosen the ban, though it has yet to be acted on. In the Senate, Sen. Sue Rezin (R- Morris) has sponsored legislation for several years trying to end the ban, but she has been ignored. She recently wrote in Crain’s about the need to renew that effort.
Let’s hope their voices are heard.
And props to Crain’s for their regular coverage of growing concerns about CEJA and Illinois’ electricity issues, which has been frank – not presented through green tinted glasses.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints.
This column was updated to include the reference to the DOE report on conversion of coal powered plants.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
I protested against the type of nuclear plants being installed in the late 70’s. The old technology was risky and unsafe. 50 years later the safer newer technology is considerably safer. Electrical generation needs to diversify. The cost per kWh should go down with efficiency. The costs have risen because its delivery vs generation.
If the woke want everyone driving a crappy EV, then they better get on board with nuclear. Solar and windmills depend very heavily on natural gas because they are inherently inefficient. If we are having supply issues now, what happens when everyone (except me) is trying to charge their car?
Not everyone…just the elites. Everyone else can got the electric bus. And if you live in an outlying red area without electric buses? So sorry, you’re just gonna have to walk.
Please understand that the existing plants we have are in excellent shape, much better condition than when they were first built. Renovation, uprating and replacement of components with newer ones means that these plants run better, more reliably and with higher output than they did when they were new. Every one of them can have their license extended, with appropriate maintenance/upgrades and NRC inspections, to run 80 or even 100 years, perhaps more. We have not run any nuclear plants long enough to really know how long they can last. With virtually all components being refurbished or replaced regularly, they… Read more »
I agree. I’m glad the updates are being made. New technology has it’s own issues. New isn’t necessarily better. I believe we need to rethink the entire grid.
Nuclear Reactors don’t burn anything and produce no carbon footprint. Nuclear reactors also have one of the lowest death rates per energy production of any energy source, performing just as well as renewable sources in that regard. And as to the issue of nuclear waste? There have been no reported incidents in which a person has been killed or seriously injured by exposure to spent nuclear fuel from nuclear power plants.
Existing plants will NOT be out of operation – regular maintenance and inspections can allow their licenses to be extended indefinitely. They can continue to run for a long, long time.
All that’s needed is to figure out how to render spent fuel harmless. If we made this a priority it could be accomplished. Instead of dedicating unlimited resources to manufacturing complex killing machines. A combined effort by the world powers can make this happen!
It’s already harmless as nobody has ever been hurt by it. We should reuse it, though, since it’s still got like 95% of its energy when removed from the reactor.
If people were dropping left and right, do you think our government would let us know if it would be inconvenient for the powerful? I refuse to take anything the government says at face value!After the Jan 6 show trial and unconscionable suppression of evidence I believe nothing from politicians. They’ve proven multiple times they can’t be trusted.
Harmless?
It has to have harmed someone in order to be harmful, no?
Nobody has ever been hurt by used nuclear fuel, and we know where every gram of it is. I can eventually be recycled to reclaim the energy that’s left in it. In the meantime, it’s just gonna sit there, safe and secure. Let’s fix things that DO harm people. Like power plants that burn stuff.
Seven operating or retired coal fired plants in Illinois could potentially be converted to nuclear. 300 across the U.S. That’s from a U.S. Department of Energy report last year. Sure sounds like something we should be looking into. I updated the column on that.
Illinois is on a path to make utilities expensive. Illinois will then expand various programs to pay the utility bills of “the poor; or a better moniker is “people that vote fot a living rather than work for one.”
The government doesn’t want the safest, cleanest, most reliable energy source. They are just controlling us by saying we need it but can’t have it without their dictates. They want us to keep paying for such a utopia that doesn’t exist so they can use the money against us. They don’t give a damn about climate change, fossil fuel, or greenhouse gasses. It’s a scam, and many Americans have fallen for it. So all of us will be displaced, out of a job and a home, AND poorer for it. WAKE UP!
No-brainer is a more apt description of Illinois politicians abilities than the nuclear power industry capabilities.
Sure bring back nukes they are safe. “Bull….”
Why did ComEd get a law passed to exempt
Them from having to stock and distribute Iodine tablets in case of a nuclear accident
Which releases Iodine-131 which causes
Thyroid cancer. ComEd is a felon don’t trust
Anything they say or do
My point isn’t to take sides on which nukes or any of them are safe. My point is that the debate hasn’t been had in decades and much has changed since then. From all I have seen however, the new mini-nukes are exceptionally safe. Because the federal government strictly regulates them, I do not think a superseding, blanket ban by Illinois politicians makes any sense.
Old nukes are incredibly safe, safer than any other form of energy we’re ever likely to have.
Most dangerous nuclear plant is one you don’t build, cuz then you burn stuff instead and that kills (and exacerbates climate change).
Of course nuclear reactors make sense, especially with the roll out of newer micro reactors. Our national defense has relied on nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers for decades. However, as long douches like Pritzker are in office, nuclear will never be green enough to pursue for our stable energy needs.
The progressive believes that your energy abundant lifestyle is dangerous for Mother Earth. The destruction of Illinois’s electrical grid is intentional. Between DIE and climate change nuttery, IL’s electrical grid is going to look like South Africa’s within a generation.
https://www.npr.org/2023/02/07/1155014891/south-africas-power-grid-is-collapsing-and-outages-are-disrupting-the-economy
South Africa’s power grid is collapsing and outages are disrupting the economy
February 7, 2023
The democrats and green lunatics have a better plan, the planting of more electric trees.