Without Legislative Deal, Exelon Moving Forward with Nuclear Plant Closures
As lawmakers have been unable to agree on an energy bill, Exelon has filed paperwork with the federal government to shutter the Byron (above) and Dresden nuclear plants.
While lawmakers have been stalled in efforts to reach a deal on energy legislation that would potentially include a bailout for nuclear plants operated by Exelon, the company has filed plans to shutter two facilities in the northern half of the state.
Paperwork filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would begin to shut down Exelon’s Byron nuclear plant near Rockford and Dresden nuclear plant in LaSalle County.
More from Dan Petrella at the Chicago Tribune:
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has proposed a deal that would put power customers on the hook for a nearly $700 million bailout of three Exelon nuclear plants, including the plants in Byron and Dresden that are facing closure. Lawmakers returned to the Capitol in mid-June to vote on an energy policy overhaul but left town without an agreement on the timeline for phasing out natural gas-fired plants.
Exelon has argued that state subsidies are necessary for its nuclear plants, which don’t emit carbon pollution, to compete with plants that run on fossil fuels.
“With no signs of a breakthrough on clean energy legislation in Springfield, we have no choice but to take these final steps in preparation for shutting down the plants,” Exelon Generation Chief Nuclear Officer Dave Rhoades said in a statement. “We will never stop fighting for policies to preserve Illinois’ nuclear fleet, knowing that the minute these plants close our customers will experience dirtier air and higher energy costs. But with time running out, we must plan for the future and do everything we can to prepare our employees and the communities they serve for what lies ahead.”
Exelon’s threat to close the plants mirrors the company’s strategy from 2016, when it succeeded in winning approval for subsidies for two other plants. That legislation is now at the center of an ongoing federal corruption investigation in which its ComEd subsidiary has admitted to engaging in a yearslong bribery scheme to win support for its agenda in Springfield.
Exelon said earlier this month that time was running out for the legislature to make a deal. We had also been told staffing at the Byron plant had reached critical levels due to uncertainty at the facility.
Sources indicate the bailout for Exelon has not been a sticking point in energy negotiations thus far, but progressive Democrats and pro-union Democrats continue to be locked in a stalemate over the fate of coal-fired power plants downstate.