Macon Reporter

Some local politicians are speaking out about the closure of nuclear plants in the area after the state Senate passed an omnibus energy bill (SB 18) on Aug. 31, according to Energy News Network. 

The bill calls for the closure of fossil fuel plants by 2045 and Gov. J.B. Pritzker has endorsed the deadline, according to Energy News Network. 

Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Champaign) says he's against closing the Clinton Power Station in De Witt County. 

"Clinton Power Station is a phenomenal plant, producing a gross 1,100 megawatts every day to constantly deliver safe, low-cost, reliable energy to our homes and businesses," Halbrook said during a tour of the plant in July. "It’s not feasible to phase these out, because these plants in Clinton, in Marissa, at PSEC, are running at maximum capacity. These are vital to base load generation." 

Clinton Power Station, a single-unit reactor station, has been operating since 1987 and produces almost 1,100 megawatts of zero-emissions energy – enough electricity to power 1 million homes, according to Exelon's website. 

"Let's not be shortsighted," Halbrook said. "We need to take a common-sense approach, instead of trying to meet arbitrary dates and targets. We need a reasonable solution that does not interrupt the flow of low-cost, reliable energy." 

Exelon says if the bill doesn't pass soon, it will have to close one of its two nuclear plants because it cannot keep them running without subsidies included in the bill, according to Exelon's website. 

Nuclear plants are the most efficient source of energy, running at an average of 93% capacity factor – more than twice the capacity factor of any other carbon-free source, according to the Office of Nuclear Energy. 

Robert Bryce, a research fellow at the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity, wrote in a column for the Wall Street Journal that a "push for renewables" is weakening the country's electric grid. 

"Three things are weakening the grid," he writes. "One is the rush to add renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, which depend on amenable weather to function. Second, over the past few years, numerous coal and nuclear plants that provide baseload power and help keep the grid stable have closed. Third, regional transmission organizations such as Ercot in Texas and Caiso in California are mismanaging the system."