Experts outline importance of fighting closures of Byron, Dresden nuclear plants

BYRON – The scheduled closings of the Byron and Dresden nuclear plants would not only have a “devastating” impact on local communities but ripple out to the state and nation as well, a panel of experts and public officials said.

Local chapters of the American Nuclear Society hosted a webinar Wednesday with 10 panelists speaking about the economic impact of nuclear power plants, how nuclear energy helps address climate change, efforts to keep plants open in Illinois and the nuclear legacy in the state.

In August, Exelon Generation announced its plans to close both the Byron and Dresden plants in September 2021. The company said it faces revenue shortfalls of hundreds of millions of dollars because of declining energy prices and market rules that allow fossil fuel plants to underbid clean resources.

The Byron plant has 717 regular employees, providing $97.5 million in payroll, and it was licensed to operate for another 20 years. Dresden has 804 employees and provides $104 million in local payroll.

“Closing Byron and Dresden could set Illinois back by decades,” said Craig Piercy, executive director and CEO of the American Nuclear Society.

ANS President Mary Lou Dunzik-Gougar said the closures would create a negative impact on local, national and international levels. The closures would take away quality jobs, tax base and competitively priced power to the grid, replacing it with fossil fuels and increased carbon emissions, she said.

According to preliminary 2020 data, nuclear power accounted for 57% of the state’s energy and 85% of the state’s carbon-free energy generation, said John Kotek, vice president for policy development and public affairs at the Nuclear Energy Institute.

If all of Illinois’ nuclear power was replaced by fossil fuels, the impact would be the equivalent of 13 million cars, he said.

Byron and Dresden provide 30% of the state’s carbon-free energy to 4 million homes.

“The closure of these plants would set off what I like to call a carbon bomb,” he said.

The plants also provide a large amount of jobs outside of big cities, offering employment across family generations.

Jimmy Glidic, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local #15 electric union steward at the Dresden Generating Station, said he fears that the closures would cause families to move out of state, adding to the Illinois population shrink.

State Sen. Sue Rezin, R-Morris, represents the 38th Senate District that includes nuclear stations in Morris, La Salle and Braidwood.

Losing the two plants would create an immense hole in clean energy, one that would take 35 years for solar and wind production to fill, Rezin said.

The state also cannot meet its climate goals of becoming 100% carbon-free by 2050 without nuclear energy, she said.

Earlier this week, Rezin joined other legislators in introducing the Climate Union Jobs Act, which would set union standards for companies switching to green energy, with the goal of driving more union jobs toward renewable energy projects, helping towns dependent on fossil fuels transition to clean energy and expanding the renewable energy industry.

Rezin said those measures would also help to preserve the state’s nuclear plants.

The Byron plant provided $34 million in local tax revenue last year, with $19.1 million going to the Byron Community School District 226. That’s 74% of the district’s revenue, school board President Christine Lynde said.

The Byron Station Response Committee was established last year to help inform the public and fight the closures, and the group established saveilnuclearpower.com as a hub for people to get involved and spread awareness.

The Dresden plant accounts for $16 million, or 60%, of the Coal City Community Unit School District 1 tax revenue, Superintendent Kent Bugg said. The closure would result in a shifting tax burden to residents and significant program cuts at the district that they wouldn’t be able to plan for gradually, he said.

“It would be devastating,” he said. “If we had time we could plan for it, but without time, it could get ugly very quickly.”

The district wouldn’t be able to replace the same quality of jobs with the loss.

“It’s scary to think what would happen, not only for the school district but the families and children of families if these jobs are lost,” Bugg said, adding that there would be a ripple effect to other businesses throughout the county.