Illinois’ moratorium on new nuclear power plant construction will stay in place for now after Gov. J.B. Pritzker vetoed a bill that would have lifted the ban.
The legislation would have invalidated a 1987 law that prohibited new nuclear power facilities from being built until a permanent waste storage option was made available.
“The bill is vetoed because the vague definitions in the bill, including the overly broad definition of advanced reactors, will open the door to the proliferation of large-scale nuclear reactors that are so costly to build that they will cause exorbitant ratepayer-funded bailouts,” Pritzker’s office said in a statement.
The bill specifically called for allowing the development of so-called advanced nuclear reactors such as the Small Modular Nuclear Reactors, or SMRs, that industry advocates have proposed to help meet the state’s emissions-free energy goal.
David Kraft, director of the Nuclear Energy Information Service, said the state doesn’t need any more nuclear reactors.
“There would be competition now only for market share for the energy, but there would be severe competition to get that energy on an already overcrowded transmission grid,” Kraft said.
State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, said the governor is putting his own partisan political ambitions over what is in the best interest of the people of Illinois.
“The governor’s decision to veto Senate Bill 76 is a short-sighted mistake that will hurt our state’s future energy portfolio,” Rezin told The Center Square.
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