The Illinois Senate voted 39-16 on September 1, 2021, to pass Senate Bill (SB) 18, an energy bill that would decarbonize the state's electric grid by 2050.[1] Two Republicans joined with 37 Democrats to vote for the bill. SB18 aims to prevent the premature closure of nuclear plants, and to this end, the bill contains $694 million in taxpayer funds for Exelon's Byron, Dresden, and Braidwood power plants. Exelon has said that it will shut down its Byron plant in September 2021 and its Dresden plant in November 2021.[2] However, Exelon said that it has "established off-ramps" that will allow contingencies for continuing operations of the plants if legislation is passed. In addition to nuclear subsidies, the bill also provides more than $600 million in subsidies for renewable power-related initiatives.

The legislation still needs to pass the House, which has not set a date as to when it will return. Environmental groups and Governor J.B. Pritzker, D, have raised objections to the bill's plans for coal plants, saying that coal plants would not be phased out quickly or allowed to keep running with unproven carbon-capture equipment. Under SB18, the municipally-owned Prairie State coal-fired plant, the largest carbon-emitting power plant in Illinois and one of the largest in the nation, would shut down by 2045. Environmental groups and the governor say that this is not soon enough, and there need to be provisions to significantly reduce the plant’s emissions. In a statement, the governor said his "office looks forward to working with members of the House to finalize an energy package that puts consumers and climate first."

[1]https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/billstatus.asp?DocNum=18&GAID=16&GA=102&DocTypeID=SB&LegID=127591&SessionID=110

[2] https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/illinois-senate-passes-bill-save-nuclear-plants-sends-house-2021-09-01/