Power & Operations

Exelon CEO urges Illinois legislators to save nuclear plants

January 6, 2021, 3:01PMNuclear News

Crane

Christopher Crane, president and chief executive officer of Exelon, wrote in a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed, “The failure of national energy markets to support clean energy will soon force the premature retirement of two of [Illinois’s] six zero-carbon nuclear plants, putting thousands of people out of work, raising energy costs, and taking us decades backward in the fight against climate change."

Crane urged Illinois policymakers to act quickly, as they face critical decisions about the future of energy that will affect the state’s environment, the economy, and the health of every family for years to come.

The stakes: According to Crane in the December 28 op-ed, if the Byron and Dresden nuclear power plants close as planned, northern Illinois will lose 30 percent of its carbon-free energy, and it will cost billions of dollars and multiple decades just to build enough new sources of clean energy to get the state back to where it is today.

The time is now: “This is a moment for boldness and a sense of urgency,” Crane wrote. “The good news is that lawmakers have a wide range of policy solutions that could spur economic growth, reduce pollution, improve public health, and put Illinois back to work.”

Tags:
byrondresdenexelongreen energyillinoisnuclear energynuclear power plants
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