Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) signed an executive order this week that will focus on new nuclear generation with a goal of adding at least 2 gigawatts or 2,000 megawatts.
According to the Wednesday order, Pritzker called for the Illinois Power Agency and Illinois Commerce Commission to consult with other agencies and issue a notice of inquiry (NOI) to nuclear companies to build new in-state nuclear generation.
The NOI will include information regarding the size and type of reactor, including small modular reactors (SMRs), potential sites for each plant, timelines to bring the nuclear facility online and fueling lifecycle plans, including plans to meet fueling needs and to handle waste disposal.
The NOI should also address potential expansion of or power uprates for existing power plants in Illinois, according to the document. The state agencies should carry this action out within 60 days.
Pritzker also ordered that an interagency working group issue a report within 120 days to the governor’s office with recommendations to begin construction by 2033.
“The economic opportunity of building new clean power is enormous, so today I’ve issued an executive order designed to speed up building new clean nuclear power so we can increase our electricity supply and secure our energy future,” Pritzker said during his State of the State Address held Wednesday.
Pritzker has championed nuclear power during his administration and fully repealed the decades-long nuclear ban in Illinois. In 2023, Pritzker signed a law that helped lift part of the state’s nuclear moratorium. This allowed for SMRs or reactors with 300 megawatts or fewer to be built in the state.
In January, Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, which, among other things, would lift the Illinois moratorium on large new nuclear reactors.
The state’s ban on new nuclear builds was passed in 1987 in response to the federal government’s lack of a permanent disposal site for spent fuel.
Illinois hosts the most nuclear reactors in the United States with 11 reactors between six operating commercial plants. In 2024, nuclear power accounted for 53% of the state’s electricity generation, according to the Energy Information Administration.