Exelon Corp. says it will move forward with plans to shut two Illinois nuclear plants after the Illinois Legislature didn't act on its request for financial support.
The company announced it will close the Clinton Power Station in Clinton on June 1, 2017, and the Quad Cities Generating Station in Cordova on June 1, 2018.
Exelon says the locations are its best-performing plants but they have lost $800 million over the last seven years. About 1,500 people work at the plants.
The company backs a measure that would extend state subsidies to nuclear power plants for producing reliable, carbon-free electricity that will help Illinois meet federal mandates. It says the future of the state legislation isn't clear after lawmakers formally adjourned their spring session Tuesday.
Paul Dempsey is communications manager for the Byron Nuclear Station. He says the company just couldn’t wait.
“For two years now, we’ve been putting this information out. Obviously the budget is taking a lot of the time in Springfield. So we do not see a path for Springfield right now being able to pass any kind of legislation,” he says.
Exelon has promised the Byron Station would stay open through May 2020. But Dempsey says the plant is operating very close to the line financially, and without a subsidy, it too could become a candidate for retirement.
“In the most recent energy auction, a portion of Byron’s power was not captured by the auction, so we’re not going to get paid the capacity price. That just shows that Byron is still a bit in that economic challenged area," he says.
Dempsey says some other Illinois nuclear plants, such as the LaSalle, Braidwood and Dresden facilities, are doing well and look viable, at least as of now.
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