Washington, D.C. —Today, Exelon Generation announced its intention to close Byron and Dresden nuclear stations in 2021. The following statement can be attributed to Maria Korsnick, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute:

“Today’s unfortunate announcement comes after a long fight to keep these nuclear plants online. These closures not only will prevent Illinois from meeting its clean energy goals, but ultimately will keep our nation from reaching a carbon-free future by 2050.

“Given the urgency of the climate crisis, it is unacceptable to lose more clean energy at a time when we should be expanding our sources of carbon-free energy like always-on, carbon-free nuclear power. And we should also recognize that losing these nuclear plants will lead to a loss of thousands of highly-skilled jobs and millions of dollars in tax revenues to Illinois communities. 

“As our country’s largest source of carbon-free energy, nuclear is the backbone of our future electricity supply. It is in our nation’s best interest to reverse the troubling trend of premature closures of nuclear plants and push for policies that value the carbon-free electricity that nuclear energy provides. That is why state legislatures and federal policymakers have reached a consensus that a clean energy future is not possible without all carbon-free technologies working together.”