Illinois lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 25 that ends the state’s 40-year moratorium on large-scale nuclear plants by 37-22 votes. The Illinois General Assembly earlier passed the clean energy bill by 70-37 votes. Senate Bill 25, Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, has been sent to Governor Jay Robert (JB) Pritzker, who said he looked forward to “signing this bill into law and help Illinoisans keep costs lower and keep the lights on”,
The bill lifts the ban on new large-scale nuclear reactors from 1 January 2026. It follows a law that Pritzker signed in 2023 lifting the moratorium on small modular reactor (SMR) construction.
The bill also seeks to streamline permitting processes and reduce local obstacles. Counties now have 60 days to approve or deny energy-storage permits. If no consensus is reached, the permit is automatically approved. It limits the power of local municipalities to demand property-value guarantees, impose extended approval timelines, excessive fees or set overly strict environmental or safety rules.
However, the bill also expands bureaucracy and regulation. It expands state control of energy by directing the Illinois Commerce Commission to oversee long-term energy planning through new Integrated Resource Plans. Utility companies must project energy demand 5-20 years ahead and include detailed modelling on emissions, affordability, equity, and grid reliability. The Commission has some power to revise or reject plans.
The legislation also creates numerous programmes and departments that will require either budgetary allocations from the state or costs on companies or consumers. This could potentially increase regulatory burdens and introduce new fiscal costs at a time when Illinois already faces high tax burdens and recurring budget deficits.
Illinois already gets 54% of its electricity from 11 reactors at six NPPs – more nuclear power reactors than any other US state. The six operational NPPs in Illinois are all owned and operated by Constellation Energy. They include:
- Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station (Braidwood, Will County) with two pressurised water reactors (PWRs) rated at 1,194 MWe and 1,160 MWe;
- Byron Nuclear Generating Station (Ogle County) with two PWRs rated at 1,164 MWe and 1,136 MWe;
- Clinton Nuclear Generating Station (Clinton, De Witt County) with one 1,138 MWe boiling water reactor (BWR);
- Dresden Generating Station (Morris, Grundy County) with to BWRs rated at 902 MWe and 895 MWe;
- LaSalle County Nuclear Generating Station (LaSalle County) with two BWRs rated at 1,137 MWe and 1,140 MWe; and
- Quad Cities Nuclear Generating Station (Cordova) with two BWRs rated at 908 MWe and 911 MWe.
Given the increased interest in nuclear energy in recent years with the development of AI and quantum computing, lifting its moratorium positions Illinois favourably for the future. In June, Constellation signed a 20-year power purchase agreement with Meta to ensure the continued operation of Clinton Clean Energy Centre.
“The assembly’s action to fully lift the state’s nuclear moratorium will help Illinois achieve its climate goals while supporting grid reliability and energy affordability,” said Wibke Heymach, Senior Midwest State Policy Manager at Clean Air Task Force (CATF). “The deadline for achieving Illinois’s own goal of 100% carbon-free energy by mid-century is quickly approaching, and the state needs clean firm power to help meet rising energy demand without worsening climate change or sacrificing air quality. Nuclear energy is an important part of Illinois’s energy mix and supports the build-out of additional renewable energy sources.”
