Nuclear physicist applauds Illinois’ move to eliminate nuclear power moratorium

(The Center Square) – A nuclear physicist says Illinois’ decision to lift the 36-year-old moratorium on new nuclear power plants is a win for the state’s economy and the environment.

A measure lifting the moratorium is ready to be sent to Gov. J.B. Pritzker for his signature. The move opens the door for the construction and use of small modular reactors, or SMRs, which are designed to be transported to locations to produce power, such as manufacturing plants or other large factories.

“The technology itself, it’s designed, it’s ready to launch, so that could be done very quickly, and then you can expect the energy costs to come down as infrastructure is gradually rebuilt within the country,” James Walker, the head of reactor development with NANO Nuclear Energy, Inc. told The Center Square.

Currently, there are no SMRs in operation or being produced anywhere in the U.S. A company with a Utah utility that planned to build the first small modular nuclear plant in the country canceled the project earlier this month due to escalating costs.

In a statement, NuScale and their partner, Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, accepted that “it appears unlikely that the project will have enough subscription to continue toward deployment.”

Illinois’ moratorium on new nuclear power generation was put in place partly because the federal government did not have a plan to dispose of nuclear waste. Walker said the disposal issue is not a concern.

“We know how to deal with it, there’s not very much of it and it should not be a problem and the SMRs that are coming online now produce even less waste,” Walker said. “It’s not going to be a significant issue for the industry.”

The law will allow SMRs to produce 300 megawatts of power. That is compared to a large-scale reactor, which can generate over 2,000 megawatts.

The Nuclear Energy Information Service was not pleased with the lifting of the nuclear moratorium.

“It would seem the Ghost of Michael Madigan Past still haunts the hallowed halls of the Legislature, wiping minds clean of any discomforting memories of utility corruption or $3.05 billion nuclear bailouts – replacing them with happy thoughts of ‘clean, green, climate fighting, low-cost, built-on-time nuclear power, for sure!,’” the group said in a statement. “Similar to what Lucy says to Charlie Brown about kicking footballs.”

If signed by the governor, who has indicated he will endorse the bill, the measure will take effect in 2026. Legislative sponsors said it could take six to 10 years to obtain the necessary permits to build a new nuclear reactor in Illinois.