Two energy bills that could make or break Illinois’ nuclear and solar industries will compete with COVID-19 emergencies in a special legislative session next week.
JEFF ST. JOHN reports for gtm
Can clean energy bills find time amid coronavirus pandemic relief, budget priorities in special session?
Two long-delayed energy bills in Illinois that could make or break the state’s nuclear and solar industries have been left in limbo by the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, following the Wednesday recall of lawmakers to a special session next week after a two-month absence, backers of the two bills will have a brief opportunity to see them passed. Otherwise, they’ll need to wait for another special session that may or may not come later this summer or for a two-week “veto session” in the fall.
In any scenario, the timing will be tight.
Next week’s special legislative session will be dominated by responses to the pandemic’s economic disruptions. But Exelon’s nuclear fleet and the Illinois solar industry both see a legislative fix as critical to their futures.
The Clean Energy Jobs Act’s nuclear protections
Exelon, the nation’s largest nuclear energy operator, wants any clean-energy bill to include a “fixed resource requirement,” or FRR, to allow its six Illinois nuclear plants to bid their capacity into a state-run system that prioritizes zero-carbon resources. Currently, Exelon’s nuclear plants participate in the capacity market overseen by mid-Atlantic grid operator PJM, which is dominated by natural-gas-fired generators
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