What does Gov. JB Pritzker’s nuclear energy executive order do?
[February 24, 2026]
By Maggie Dougherty
CHICAGO — During his recent State of the State and budget address, Gov.
JB Pritzker announced a new direction for nuclear energy in Illinois,
aimed at staving off predicted energy shortages as the state moves
toward carbon-free power generation.
Pritzker signed an executive order the morning of the address, saying it
“sets a new nuclear energy framework for Illinois — one that prioritizes
affordability, safety and reliability.”
The goal, according to the governor, is to begin development on new
nuclear power plants to deliver at least two gigawatts more energy
capacity, enough to power up to two million Illinois homes. Construction
for those sites would be expected to begin by 2033.
That energy would be needed to power homes and businesses as Illinois
moves toward shuttering fossil fuel plants by 2045, as required under
the state’s landmark energy legislation passed in 2021, the Climate and
Equitable Jobs Act.
However, it may also be too late to prevent shortfalls that three state
agencies late last year predicted would hit northern Illinois by 2029
and downstate by 2031.
The challenges are not unique to Illinois, with both of the federally
regulated regional transmission organizations that serve the state
facing capacity shortages amid plant closures and growing demand.
Moratorium lifted
New large-scale nuclear is only just becoming an option again Illinois
after four decades. Pritzker’s signature on the Clean and Reliable Grid
Affordability Act, or CRGA, which goes into effect in June, lifted a
state moratorium on new nuclear power that dated back to the 1980s.
The state previously lifted a moratorium on construction of small
modular reactors generating less than 300 megawatts in 2023. The same
year, Pritzker vetoed a bill that would have lifted the broader
moratorium on large-scale construction.
Even with the moratoriums in place, Illinois has maintained its position
as the top producer of nuclear energy in the U.S., generating an eighth
of the nation’s nuclear power across its six nuclear power plants. That
nuclear power accounted for over half of the state’s net electric power
generated in 2024, according to the U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
By expediting the identification of new nuclear sites, Pritzker said
he’s hopeful the order will help ensure Illinois can keep up with
increasing demand and keep energy affordable while creating thousands of
jobs and maintaining its position as a net energy exporter.
Identifying sites, regulatory review
The new order sets deadlines for identifying potential sites for nuclear
plants as well as for reviewing existing nuclear regulations and issuing
recommendations for any changes to those rules.
The Illinois Power Agency, a state agency responsible for creating
annual electricity procurement plans, and the state’s utility regulator,
the Illinois Commerce Commission, have 60 days from the day the order
was signed to seek notice of interest from potential developers or
current nuclear operators that want to expand their operations.
All of Illinois’ nuclear plants are owned by Constellation Energy, a
company spun off by Exelon Corporation, the parent company of utility
giant Commonwealth Edison. CEJA, the 2021 law, created hundreds of
millions of dollars in subsidies for the state’s nuclear industry to
prevent plant closures.
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The Byron Nuclear Generating Station in Ogle County, Illinois.
(Capitol News Illinois file photo by Andrew Campbell)
Developers will be asked to outline potential locations for new sites,
expected cost and timeline to connect facilities to the grid, economic
development impacts, workforce training needs and other factors for
consideration.
The IPA is also tasked with assessing its own staffing and consultancy
needs to support the initiative with appropriate expertise over the next
one to three years.
The ICC is separately tasked with seeking notice from local communities
around the state about interest in hosting a new nuclear site. Those
communities will be asked to provide information such as land and water
availability, economic development factors, stakeholder support and
existing interconnection infrastructure that would make locations
favorable for hosting a nuclear plant.
At the same time, both agencies are expected to form a working group
with state departments for economic development and labor, environmental
protection, natural resources and emergency management, plus the
University of Illinois, to issue a report to the governor’s office.
That report, due 120 days from the order’s signing, is expected to
review existing statutes and issue recommendations for safety,
environmental and interconnection regulations needed for development of
new sites.
Environmental priorities
The Illinois Environmental Council praised Pritzker’s success in
addressing capacity and climate change in the power sector but said the
state should be prioritizing other energy sources.
“The urgency of the climate crisis demands that we prioritize the
deployment of true clean, renewable energy resources like solar, wind,
and battery storage, which can be done reliably, quickly, and
cost-effectively,” an IEC statement read. “In a rapidly warming world,
and while the Trump administration is actively slashing safety
regulations for nuclear reactors, solar, wind and battery storage are
the solutions that require our focus.”
The order received applause from some lawmakers who are not always
aligned with the governor’s policy positions.
“I don’t often agree with the Governor, but recognizing the benefits of
advancements in nuclear energy production and expanding the dominance
Illinois holds in nuclear energy generation is an area in which I’m
happy we do agree,” Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, said in a statement.
“Amazing developments are happening in nuclear energy, and each year,
more and more innovation is on the horizon. The only way we can possibly
expect to have plenty of affordable, reliable baseload power without a
carbon footprint is through nuclear power,” Keicher added.
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coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily
by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
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