The Byron (left) and Dresden generating stations.
Exelon’s Byron nuclear plant will be permanently shuttered in 10 days unless the Illinois House of Representatives passes the clean energy bill approved by the state’s Senate on September 1. And as the lower chamber is expected to convene for a special session sometime next week to consider the measure, ANS is encouraging members of Illinois’s nuclear community to make their position on the matter clear via ANS engage.
The Senate bill includes financial aid to Byron, as well as to two other Exelon nuclear facilities in Illinois—Dresden, which is slated to close this November, and Braidwood. The aid is in the form of climate mitigation credits.
Exelon says: “While we currently have no choice but to continue preparing for [Byron and Dresden’s] premature retirement, we have established off-ramps that will allow us to reverse that decision if lawmakers pass legislation with enough time for us to safely refuel the plants,” said an Exelon spokesperson in a statement after passage of the Senate bill. “To be clear, Byron will run out of fuel and will permanently shut down on September 13 unless legislation is enacted. We have been clear that we cannot refuel Byron on September 13 or Dresden in November absent policy changes.”
