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Topic: Nuclear Energy Blog Brand: Energy World Region: Americas, and Asia Tags: China, Illinois, North America, Nuclear Plant, Nuclear Reactors, United States, and Uranium Nuclear Energy Now – Illinois Lifts Its Nuclear Power Plant Ban January 9, 2026 By: Emily Day
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Nuclear Energy Now tracks the latest nuclear energy developments across technology, diplomacy, industry trends, and geopolitics.
China Accelerates Nuclear Construction with New CAP1000 Reactors
China is continuing to accelerate its nuclear buildout, as the first concrete has been poured for two new CAP1000 reactors at the Bailong and Lufeng nuclear power plants. At Bailong, units 1 and 2 market the first phase of the project, approved by China’s State Council in August 2024, and are expected to take over four years to build. The site is expected to host six units—two CAP1000 units and four CAP1400 units—with a total capacity of 8.62 gigawatts electric (GWe). Once fully operational, the plant would reduce coal consumption by 6 million tonnes per year—coal makes up 61 percent of China’s total energy supply as of 2023. At Lufeng, concrete was poured for unit 2 in December. It is also planned to have six reactors, four of which would be CAP1000 reactors and two HPR1000 reactors, though approval for units 3 and 4 is currently pending. China now has 37 reactors under construction, compared to 27 in May of 2024.
Illinois Lifts Its Nuclear Power Plant Ban
Illinois has taken a step forward in bolstering the state’s energy future. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), ending the state’s decades-long moratorium on new large-scale nuclear power plants. Alongside lifting the nuclear ban, the law expands battery storage, enables “virtual power plants,” and strengthens oversight by state utility regulators—measures the Illinois Power Agency estimates will save consumers $13.4 billion over the next twenty years. The legislation, which will go into effect on June 1, 2026, comes amid warnings from regulators that Illinois faces power shortfalls within the next three to five years and follows Pritzker’s August 2025 support for ending the moratorium. While Pritzker vetoed a similar bill in August 2023 over cost concerns, later that year, he signed legislation that would allow the construction of small modular reactors in the state. Illinois generates more nuclear power than any other state, receives over half of its electricity from nuclear energy, and has the fourth-largest concentration of data centers in the country. By ending the ban on large-scale nuclear power plants, Illinois is responding to rising demand from artificial intelligence and data centers and is making clear that it intends to remain a leader in zero-emissions power and to support long-term economic growth.
DOE Awards $2.7 Billion to Rebuild US Uranium Enrichment Capacity
The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $2.7 billion to expand domestic uranium enrichment capacity, selecting Centrus Energy, General Matter, and Orano to develop new supplies of low-enriched uranium (LEU) and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). Each company will receive $900 million, and DOE also awarded $28 million to Global Laser Enrichment to advance next-generation uranium enrichment technology. The funding comes as the United States prepares for a 2028 cutoff of Russian nuclear fuel imports and confronts the fact that it currently produces only about 30 percent of the enriched uranium required for its 94 operating reactors. While Orano is the only awardee with existing commercial-scale enrichment, the investments are designed to jumpstart new capacity at sites in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, including the reuse of former gaseous diffusion facilities. This funding further makes clear Washington’s growing recognition that a nuclear renaissance—particularly one involving advanced reactors—cannot proceed without securing enrichment as a matter of energy security, industrial policy, and geopolitical resilience.
About the Author: Emily Day
Emily Day is an experienced researcher, writer, and editor with expertise in geopolitics, nuclear energy, and global security. She is an associate editor of Energy World and Techland at The National Interest and a senior research associate at Longview Global Advisors, where she provides insights on global political and economic trends with a specialization in utilities, risk, sustainability, and technology. She was previously a Della Ratta Energy and Global Security Fellow at the Partnership for Global Security.
Image: Wlad74/shutterstock
The post Nuclear Energy Now – Illinois Lifts Its Nuclear Power Plant Ban appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org