Byron & Dresden

We are a coalition of local citizens, environmentalists, students, & union members who fought to save the Byron & Dresden Nuclear Plants #CleanPowerForAll

[Byron & Dresden @ByronDresden]

"-17F this morning and these babies are still cranking out about 2400 MW of power to the 2 million homes in Northern Illinois. Safe, Reliable, Clean Power"

- Richard Bowman, Shift Manager @ Byron

(from 2 days ago)

[Madi Hilly @MadiHilly]

Illinois already leads the nation in nuclear energy. We should leverage that to make sure new nuclear gets built here.

Thanks to @wttw for having me on Chicago Tonight to discuss how Governor @JBPritzker's EO helps us compete for new nuclear investment.

[Madi Hilly @MadiHilly]

BREAKING: Governor Pritzker is expected to sign an executive order targeting 2 GW of new nuclear capacity in Illinois.

This comes just one month after the state lifted its 36-year ban on new nuclear construction.

Illinois is having to play major catch-up to states that moved first, but no state produces more nuclear energy than ours. That’s a decent position to be in.

[Emmet Penney @nukebarbarian]

The nuclear moratorium in Illinois has breathed its last.

SB 25 cleared the Senate and Pritzker will sign.

Tons of people worked tirelessly to make this happen, especially @amedsker. This wouldn't have happened without him.

We should name the first new reactor after him.

[Landon @landon20s]

Illinois is lucky to have @CEGCleanEnergy ☢️

[Constellation @ConstellationEG]

We’ve invested $7 billion into our clean energy centers over the last decade and the results speak for themselves. Our nuclear fleet ran at near full power this summer – keeping the lights on and AC humming for the equivalent of 16M homes. Learn more ↙️
https://t.co/NgXeq5uTbW

[Emmet Penney @nukebarbarian]

Two historic nuke restarts.

Not sick of winning.

⚔️⚛️⚔️

[Constellation Clean Energy @CEGCleanEnergy]

Back to school? Byron’s going back to baseload. 🎒⚛️

That’s what Byron Clean Energy Center (and America’s entire nuclear fleet) does every day: Power homes and businesses with clean, always-on energy.

Now in its 40th year, and still showing up stronger than ever.

[Madi Hilly @MadiHilly]

Meta Signs 20-Year Deal to Buy Illinois Nuclear Power to Fuel Data Center Growth

Illinois' nuclear plants—once at risk of premature closure due to historically low natural gas prices and markets indifferent to carbon—are now among the most valuable energy assets in the world, thanks to soaring demand from AI and data centers.

The good news: These plants are a major competitive advantage for Illinois in attracting data centers and future-facing industries.

The bad news: These same nuclear facilities currently provide clean, affordable electricity to millions in the Chicago area. What happens when that power is locked up by tech giants? Especially with Illinois planning to phase out nearly all coal in the next 5 years and natural gas by 2045.

This is the challenge facing the state:

Do we turn away industrial users to preserve the status quo—risking the message that Illinois isn’t open for business?

Or do we allow our nuclear capacity to be sold off and scramble to replace it—potentially triggering major spikes in residents’ electric bills?

There’s only one real solution: we must build more nuclear power in Illinois.

Big demand requires big supply—and that means large-scale reactors. Yet under current law, building new nuclear plants in Illinois remains illegal. That must change—quickly—if we’re to meet this moment with vision and urgency.

[Madi Hilly @MadiHilly]

If you live in Illinois and care about keeping our electricity reliable, affordable, & clean, please go fill out a witness slip in support of removing the state's ban on large nuclear reactors!

It takes 30 seconds and makes a big impact 🙏

[Madi Hilly @MadiHilly]

It's wild how few people in Chicago know the city has been running on nearly 100% clean power for decades—thanks to local nuclear plants.

I worry we’re headed for a “don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” moment as data centers start buying up that baseload power…

[Byron & Dresden @ByronDresden]

@cornoisseur Amazing news!

[Emmet Penney @nukebarbarian]

Joe Dominguez, CEO of @CEGCleanEnergy, tells @CERAWeek that the Vogtle nuclear project should be seen as a success.

-Unit 4 was 20% less than Unit 3
-$150/MWh is comparable to NY offshore wind prices and far more reliable.

He believes we should have built more AP1Ks immediately