Clinton nuclear plans seeks 20 year extension

CLINTON — The owner of the nuclear power plant in Clinton is seeking regulatory approval to keep the plan in operation for another 20 years.

Reports state that Constellation Energy, the owner of the plant, recently applied for license renewal to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend its existing contract to 2047.

The plant provides over $13 million in annual property taxes, education, and county services. In addition, it provides carbon-free electricity to power over 800,000 homes.

The current contract for the plant is set to expire in April 2027 unless nuclear regulators extend the contract.

The renewal of the contract could provide Illinois with an estimated 179 terawatt hours of additional carbon-free electricity over the additional two-decade span.

“The Clinton Clean Energy Center is not only the largest carbon-free electricity source in Central Illinois,” said Clinton District 15 board president Dan Matthews in a news release. “It also provides a major boost to the [local] economy.”

Constellation Energy states that in the event of the facility’s closure, Illinois would need to place more than 1,000 new wind turbines to generate the same level of electricity as the Clinton facility.

The facility, with an estimated value of $4 billion, is surrounded by Clinton Lake and currently employs over 530 people.

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