Illinois, known as the nation’s leading nuclear energy producer, finds itself at the center of the latest push for carbon-free power. Tech giants such as Microsoft, Amazon, and Google, driven by their climate pledges and the increasing power demands of data centers, have entered into agreements with utility companies and nuclear reactor developers. The federal government has also joined the movement, providing billions of dollars in funding to companies aspiring to launch new nuclear projects. President Joe Biden’s administration recently unveiled plans to triple the nation’s nuclear power supply by midcentury.
While support for clean energy projects faces challenges under Republican control, expanding nuclear power generation has found favor among Republicans, as revealed by a Pew Research poll. However, the same obstacles that hindered previous ambitious nuclear projects, such as high construction costs and the lack of a long-term solution for radioactive waste, still persist. If early experiments with reopening plants and developing smaller reactors fail, tech giants may turn their attention to Illinois’ operational plants, which currently supply over half of the state’s power.
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker’s administration has been welcoming data centers, which bring jobs and tax revenue, with open arms and tax incentives. However, the growing energy demands of these data centers could hinder Illinois’ goal of phasing out expensive and aging nuclear plants and potentially lead to increased electric bills for residents.
Illinois has made significant progress in replacing coal and natural gas consumption with renewable wind and solar energy over the past three decades. Nuclear energy has been seen as a bridge fuel to renewables due to its zero greenhouse gas emissions during energy production. However, the production process generates radioactive waste that poses health and environmental risks, as evidenced by incidents such as unreported leaks of radioactive tritium from Illinois’ Braidwood and Dresden nuclear plants.
Residents like Sarah Sauer, who was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2001 and lived near the Illinois nuclear plants, believe their illnesses were caused by contaminated drinking water. Concerns about radioactive waste storage and its long-term impact on communities have led to a Supreme Court case addressing the question of which communities must bear the burden of toxins indefinitely.
Despite the moratorium on new nuclear reactors in Illinois until a safe disposal method for nuclear waste is certified, the state amended the moratorium last year to allow for the development of small nuclear reactors. Companies like Amazon and Google have committed significant investments to these smaller reactors, which are touted as safer and less costly. However, no American company has yet brought one into commercial operation.
In the absence of new reactors, companies like Microsoft have turned to reviving decommissioned plants to meet their increasing power demands. Safety concerns have been raised regarding the reopening of these plants, with issues such as severe corrosion of pipes at the Michigan plant and the potential for radioactive waste leakage into Lake Michigan.
Illinois, with its abundance of nuclear energy and land, is well-positioned to become a data center hub. The state’s public utility, Commonwealth Edison, has numerous data centers online and in development, with the forthcoming centers expected to require significantly more power than the existing ones.