Illinois fully lifts decades-long nuclear moratorium in an important step toward securing clean, reliable, affordable grid
SPRINGFIELD, Il. – Yesterday, the Illinois General Assembly passed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), which includes a provision that lifts the state’s remaining nuclear moratorium.
“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 midcentury 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.”
At the end of 2023, Illinois partially repealed its long-standing moratorium on new nuclear units by allowing construction of new smaller reactors with capacity less than 300 MWe. Today’s action removes the 300 MWe limit to allow new large scale nuclear plants. Studies show that clean firm energy resources are needed as part of a diverse supply portfolio with variable renewable energy resources to minimize the overall cost of net-zero decarbonization and provide grid stability.
The passage of CRGA comes at a time of efforts across the country to support the development of nuclear energy. Examples include the reopening of nuclear units (e.g., Palisades Nuclear Plant and Three Mile Island), development of nuclear master plans (e.g., New York), multi-state efforts to develop nuclear orderbooks (e.g., NASEO First Mover Initiative), extending nuclear licenses (e.g., Diablo Canyon), and hyperscaler power purchase agreements (e.g., Microsoft, Google, and Amazon) for nuclear energy.
Press Contact
Samantha Sadowski, Senior Communications Manager, U.S., ssadowski@catf.us, +1 202-440-1717
About Clean Air Task Force
Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.
