The Illinois legislature is in the final stages of passing a clean energy bill which mandates a 45 percent reduction in carbon emissions in coal plants by the year 2035 and then full closure by 2045. The legislation includes funding for nuclear plants operated by Exelon that have struggled economically for years. The company has set Monday, September 13, as the closure deadline unless the General Assembly passes legislation to rescue it.
Two weeks ago, the Illinois Senate passed a bill that would subsidize the Byron nuclear plant, providing $694 million in nuclear aid over five years. Whereas the senate bill would end the use of fossil fuels for electricity generation by 2045, it wouldn’t require a stepdown in emissions leading up to that date. That means the Prairie State Energy Campus, Illinois’ newest and largest coal plant, and one of the nation’s largest industrial sources of carbon dioxide, could run at full power until then.
If the nuclear plants do shut down, it would lead coal and natural gas plants in Illinois and elsewhere on the PJM grid to run more frequently, leading to an increase in carbon emissions, according to an analysis by the Brattle Group.
Notably, some lawmakers are opposed to subsidizing a site run by Exelon, which has been under scrutiny due to a corruption scandal. Their rational is that legislation will be more likely to pass if a provision is added that reduces carbon emissions from coal plants.
The Illinois House of Representatives is set to vote on the bill this Thursday, September 9, 2021.
To read more on this issue, click here.