Waste producers shutting down

Exelon Corporation has announced it will shut down the Clinton Power Station and Quad Cities Station in Illinois after the state refused to provide bailouts for the money-losing nuclear power plants.

Illinois members of Congress have been some of the most aggressive in demanding the construction of the proposed Yucca Mountain dump for high level nuclear wastes in Nye County, Nevada.

The two Illinois plants have reportedly lost $800 million in eight years. Exelon vice president Joe Dominguez said nuclear is having trouble competing with renewables.

“We think that the costs of new nuclear right now are not competitive with other zero-carbon technologies, renewables, and storage that we see in the marketplace. … Right now we just don’t have any plans on the board to build any new reactors,” he said.

Nuclear and coal plants are closing in several states, and both nuclear and coal producers are asking for corporate welfare in several states, including Ohio and New York.