Constellation asks Grundy County Board for support for the Dresden Clean Energy Center

A representative from Constellation Energy asked the Grundy County Board to issue a resolution of support for the Dresden Clean Energy Center as Constellation works on renewing its license for another 20 years.

Sharon Johnson, the government affairs manager for Constellation Energy for Northeastern Illinois, said Constellation filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a license renewal that will apply to the plant until 2051. The application is under review for sufficiency, and it’s currently scheduled for a public hearing in early June.

“The site vice president and myself are doing a tour to include major stakeholders like yourself to ask for a resolution from the board for support for the Dresden Clean Energy Center,” Johnson said. “What happens is I will be working very closely with the board members responsible at Constellation to get you public information you need to attend the public hearing that the NRC is having to make favorite comments regarding the plant that is beneficial to the community of Grundy County with regard to the environment, the energy benefits and the philanthropy work the plant has done.”

Grundy County Board Chairman Chris Balkema said the board worked hard with a lot of people to get a bill passed at the state level that allowed Dresden to stay open, and he believes the board would be happy to pass a resolution that prevents them from having to worry about any closings until 2051.

The Dresden Generating Station supports 1,600 jobs around Grundy County, according to an Aug. 27, 2020, Morris Herald-News story. The station employs 800 people and indirectly supports an additional 865 jobs. These jobs were saved, in part, thanks to a comprehensive energy bill that was agreed to in June 2021.

The Grundy County Board voted unanimously to approve a resolution of support in an effort to help Dresden renew its license.