Bryon, IL – State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) is welcoming a major federal commitment to expand nuclear energy production in Illinois, calling the announcement another significant step toward strengthening the state’s energy reliability, supporting economic growth, and meeting increasing electricity demand.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced Tuesday a conditional loan commitment of up to $5 billion to support upgrades and modernization at eight Constellation nuclear facilities across Illinois, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Six of those facilities are located in Illinois, including Braidwood, Byron, Clinton, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities.

The planned improvements are expected to add nearly 1,100 megawatts of additional electricity generation across the three states, enough to power more than 930,000 homes.

“Illinois is at the center of America’s nuclear energy future, and investments like this are going to help keep it that way,” said Senator Rezin. “At a time when electricity demand is skyrocketing and families are already struggling with rising utility costs, expanding our existing nuclear facilities is exactly the kind of investment we need.”

The federal announcement builds on a series of major private-sector commitments to Illinois’ nuclear energy industry.

Earlier this month, Google and Constellation announced a 20-year agreement supporting more than $4.3 billion in planned investments to add 890 megawatts of nuclear generation across facilities in Illinois and other states. That announcement followed Meta’s 20-year agreement with Constellation to support continued operations at the Clinton Clean Energy Center, preserving jobs and supporting an additional 30 megawatts of nuclear generation.

 

**Editor’s Note: If you find the story here of value, consider clicking one of the Google ads embedded in the story. It costs you nothing but Google will give the website owner a few cents. This is a way to help support local news at no cost to the reader.

“The growing investments from companies like Meta and Google, combined with this latest federal commitment, shows how critically important nuclear energy has become to our nation’s energy future,” continued Senator Rezin. “These investments demonstrate that major companies and the federal government recognize something I have been advocating for years. Reliable nuclear energy is essential to meeting our growing energy needs, supporting economic development, and keeping Illinois competitive.”

Rezin, a longtime advocate for nuclear energy expansion, has helped lead legislative efforts to remove restrictions on new nuclear development in Illinois. Her work includes helping lift the state’s decades-old moratorium on the construction of new nuclear reactors. Senator Rezin joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and other elected officials Tuesday at Constellation’s Byron Clean Energy Center to discuss the future of nuclear energy and the importance of policies that support reliable electricity generation.

“Illinois has an opportunity to build on this momentum, but that requires policies that encourage investment rather than stand in its way,” said Rezin. “We need to protect our existing nuclear fleet, make it easier to develop new nuclear facilities, and ensure we have enough reliable electricity to meet future demand. These investments are an important step forward, and I will continue working to make sure Illinois remains a national leader in nuclear energy.”