Electricity prices are climbing, supply is tightening and residents are paying the price.
Now, Illinois lawmakers are considering a sprawling 800-page energy bill, SB 25, that aims to lift the nuclear moratorium. However, the bill makes other significant changes such as appropriating $85 million annually to the Electric Vehicle Charger fund.
Instead of pushing massive reforms and trying to do too much with energy in one fell swoop – without public comment or cost evaluation – lawmakers should start by simply lifting Illinois’ nearly 40-year moratorium on new, large-scale reactors.
Illinois; already generates more nuclear energy than any other state, but still needs more; and the need has never been greater. Artificial intelligence, data centers and electrified infrastructure are zapping up energy which drives up electricity bills for Illinois residents. Residential rates jumped nearly 10% over the past year, with some families’ seeing their monthly bills double. The average Illinois ComEd bill has already risen $10 a month and bills will skyrocket further if energy demand can’t increase.
Grid operator PJM blamed the spike on a growing imbalance between supply and demand — driven in large part by the explosion of new data centers powering AI technologies with not enough new energy creation.
Data centers now consume about 1.5% of the world’s electricity, but that could rise to up to 9% by 2030. These facilities could draw as much as 1,000 megawatts each — enough to power 800,000 homes. Each new AI query uses up to ten times the power of a standard internet search.
Illinois is becoming a hub for AI development and data storage, and that’s good news for jobs and innovation. Building data centers positions the state, and Chicago especially, as an attractive spot for new tech and business investments.
But it also means our grid needs massive, dependable power generation to support the future. Renewable sources such as wind and solar are good starts, but lack long-term storage capacity. We need to expand nuclear power to deliver the 24/7 baseload capacity a digital economy demands and to reach the state mandated carbon-free grid by 2050.
Bills introduced earlier this year to fully repeal Illinois’ nuclear ban stalled under pressure from environmental groups and hesitation from Gov. JB Pritzker. Now, Illinois has both an urgent need to expand the grid, and a great opportunity to attract new businesses and investments.
Private investment in nuclear energy is booming. Tech giants such as Meta, Google and Microsoft are signing long-term contracts to secure nuclear power for their operations. Meta’s 20-year deal with Constellation to support Illinois’ Clinton Clean Energy Center preserved more than 1,100 high-paying jobs and replaced taxpayer subsidies with private capital. That model could be replicated and expanded across the state.
New nuclear construction could also generate billions in revenue and stabilize power prices for households. Illinois is the nation’s fifth-largest electricity producer and typically sends about one-fifth of the power it generates to other states over the regional grid. More energy could alleviate consumers’ rising costs as well as the state’s financial woes.
Illinois’ not alone in the energy crisis. Other states face increased blackout risks without significant energy increase. That’s why New York, Wisconsin and Kentucky have all recently lifted their moratoriums, attracting new investment that will create thousands of jobs and new energy.
Lawmakers’ unwillingness to expand competition in the energy market leaves Illinoisans stuck with higher bills and fewer choices, year after year. Lifting the moratorium could open the door for new entrants to build reactors and sell power, breaking the ComEd-Exelon monopoly and lowering costs through competition.
Illinois families shouldn’t be forced to pay the price for AI usage or to protect the earnings of scandal-ridden providers. It’s clear AI isn’t going anywhere. Neither is the demand for power. The only question is whether Illinois will meet that demand with or fall behind.
If lawmakers want to protect consumers from runaway costs and potential blackouts, they must lift the ban and allow for the development of the next generation of clean, reliable power.
This article originally appeared at Real Clear Energy
The post AI is driving up your power bill, Illinois can fix it by lifting its nuclear ban was first published by the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT), and is republished here with permission. Please support their efforts.