Given the lack of progress on Illinois energy legislation, Exelon Corp. announced on June 2 that it would begin taking steps to permanently shut down its Quad Cities and Clinton nuclear power plants.

In a statement, the company said Clinton would close on June 1, 2017, and that Quad Cities would follow exactly one year later. The two facilities have long been rumored to be on the chopping block due to economic struggles.

“This is an extremely difficult day for the 1,500 employees who operate these plants safely and reliably every day, and the communities that depend on them for support,” said Chris Crane, Exelon president and CEO. “We have worked for several years to find a sustainable path forward in consultation with federal regulators, market operators, state policymakers, plant community leaders, labor and business leaders, as well as environmental groups and other stakeholders. Unfortunately, legislation was not passed, and now we are forced to retire the plants.”

The two stations are said to have lost a combined $ 800 million during the past seven years, despite being two of Exelon’s best-performing plants.…

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