The Illinois Senate approved a measure on Thursday that would lift a 1980s-era moratorium on nuclear power plant construction. Senate Bill 76, sponsored by Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, was approved on a 39-13 vote. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for consideration
SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois Senate approved a measure on Thursday that would lift a 1980s-era moratorium on nuclear power plant construction.
Rezin said on the Senate floor that the bill would specifically allow for the construction of small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs. These reactors operate at a much smaller scale than traditional nuclear reactors and are built in factories and assembled on site. SMR proponents say they can be deployed in places like factories, replacing the need for things like coal-fired cogeneration plants.
by signing up you agree to our terms of service Cunningham said the moratorium is preventing the state from"sending signals out to the market" for investment in new energy technology, including SMRs and using nuclear power for hydrogen generation.
"By lifting this ban, it allows Illinois, should they choose, to go after federal dollars that are provided by this administration, the Biden administration, who is embracing, supporting and investing in advanced nuclear reactors," Rezin said. The state's ban went into effect in 1987 and was intended to remain in effect until the federal government identifies a national nuclear waste disposal strategy. In 1987, Congress identified a site in Nevada as the nation's repository for nuclear waste, although later opposition from the state and the White House quashed that plan. No national disposal site has been designated.
"Small modulars are not climate solutions, they're not job generators until the 2030s and they'll generate more nuclear waste," Kraft said in a Thursday interview.
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