Exelon Generation announced August 27th, that they plan to retire Illinois’ Byron Generating Station and Dresden Generating Station in the fall of 2021. This is the result of the loss of four nuclear generation units that all together supply clean zero-transmissions energy to more than 4 million businesses and homes in the Northern Illinois area. Byron has been in operation for over 30 years.

The Byron Generating Station which is located in Byron, IL plans to close in September of 2021, and the Dresden Generating Station, located in Mount Morris, plans to close November 2021. Both locations together, employ more than 1,500 full-time employees and 2,000 supplemental employees from local union halls.

The reason for Byron and Dresden Generating Stations plans to close are due to the shortfall of revenue in hundreds of millions of dollars because of declining energy prices and market rules that will allow fossil fuel to undergo clean resources in the PJM capacity auction even though there is large support that calls for sustaining and expanding clean energy resources that will address the current climate crisis.

“Although we know in our heads that shutting down the uneconomic Illinois plants is necessary to preserve even more jobs elsewhere, our hearts ache today for the thousands of talented women and men that have served Illinois families for more than a generation and will lose their jobs because of poorly conceived energy policies,” said Christopher Crane, president, and CEO of Exelon. “But we are only about a year away from shutdown and we need to give our people, the host communities, and regulators time to prepare.”

Over the past couple of years, there have been rumors of the closure but most recently in February of 2019. Not only is Byron’s Plant one of the largest taxing bodies, but it also employs more than 700 employees with stable high paying jobs at an estimated $82.5 million in annual payroll.

The Byron Nuclear Plant gives millions of dollars to community partners each year which includes Byron Fire Protection District, the Byron, and Oregon Chambers of Commerce. The plant also benefits local events like Byronfest, Leaf River Daze, Oregon’s Autumn on Parade and the Stillman Valley Fall Festival.

In February of 2020, the Byron Generating Station celebrated 4,500 consecutive days producing carbon-free energy to the State of Illinois. They also marked 45 years on-site. Supposedly, the licenses for both plants do not expire until 2044 and 2046.