Illinois Nuclear Infrastructure

Map Layers

Nuclear Generation

Operating reactors Decommissioned sites Spent fuel storage (ISFSI)

Fuel Cycle

UF₆ conversion (Metropolis Works)

Research & Workforce

National labs & universities

Transmission

345kV+ transmission lines

Transport Corridors

Class I railroads Navigable waterways STRAHNET highways

Illinois's Nuclear Fleet

Operating reactors

NRC 2026

~11.6#1

GW net capacity

WNA/EIA

~99

TWh generated (2024)

EIA-923

53%

of IL electricity

EIA 2024

Illinois operates more nuclear reactors than any other state. All six generating stations are operated by Constellation Energy, the nation's largest nuclear operator. The fleet spans both PWR (Westinghouse) and BWR (GE) designs across northern and central Illinois.

Plant-by-Plant Summary

Plant	Type	MW	License thru

Source: NRC Reactor Info Finder, WNA Reactor Database. Accessed 2026-03-27.

NLIC Readiness

The DOE's January 2026 RFI seeks states to host campuses spanning enrichment, fuel fabrication, reactor deployment, reprocessing, and waste disposition. Illinois's existing assets address multiple criteria.

✓ Operating reactors: 11 units across 6 sites, demonstrating sustained operational capability

✓ Spent fuel management: Morris ISFSI — only commercial away-from-reactor storage facility in the U.S. (772 MT)

✓ National laboratory R&D: Argonne (advanced reactor design, fuel cycle research) and Fermilab (materials science)

✓ Nuclear workforce: Constellation is the largest nuclear operator in the U.S.; UIUC trains nuclear engineers

✓ Multimodal transport: 6 Class I carriers, 1,095 navigable waterway miles, STRAHNET highway coverage

✓ Transmission grid: Dense 345kV+ network in PJM and MISO territories

✓ Brownfield sites: Zion (decommissioned 2023, ISFSI remains) and Dresden 1 (SAFSTOR)

~ Front-end fuel cycle: Metropolis Works (only US UF₆ conversion plant, 15,000 MTU/yr). No enrichment or fabrication, but Argonne has fuel cycle R&D capability

Source: DOE NLIC RFI (January 28, 2026), NRC facility data, USDOT BTS.

Transport Capability

Moving heavy reactor modules, fuel assemblies, and spent fuel casks requires multimodal transport infrastructure. Illinois has all three modes.

6,769#2

miles Class I rail

AAR 2023

1,095

navigable waterway mi

IDOT

Class I carriers

UP, BNSF, CN, NS, CSX, CPKC

Rail Access by Nuclear Site

All six operating nuclear plants have regional rail access. The Dresden/Morris complex has been specifically evaluated by DOE for multimodal spent fuel transport, with CN Railroad transload locations assessed during a May 2022 in-person site evaluation.

Source: PNNL-30429, "Nuclear Power Plant Infrastructure Evaluations for Removal of Spent Nuclear Fuel" (2024 update); WM2023-23024, Dresden/Morris Site Infrastructure Evaluations.

Waterway Access

Quad Cities sits directly on the Mississippi River (USACE-maintained navigable waterway). Barges were used during original construction in 1967. This is the strongest barge-access nuclear site in the state.

Dresden/Morris sits at the head of the Illinois River. In June 2020, DOE/PNNL conducted the first-ever drone survey of a commercial nuclear site, mapping the Dresden Lock and Dam and nearby barge area to evaluate waterway viability for spent fuel transport.

The Illinois waterway system connects to both the Gulf of Mexico (via Mississippi) and the Atlantic (via Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway).

Source: WM2021-21004, Morris ISFSI Virtual Site Evaluation; IDOT Waterway System; USACE Navigable Waterways.

Strategic Highway Network (STRAHNET)

The DOD's Strategic Highway Network designates routes rated for heavy military and industrial equipment transport. Illinois has extensive STRAHNET coverage, including I-55, I-57, I-80, I-88, and I-90/94 — corridors that connect nuclear sites to Chicago's intermodal hub and to neighboring states.

IDOT issues oversize/overweight permits under 625 ILCS 5/15-301 for heavy haul transport.

Source: FHWA STRAHNET dataset, IDOT ITAP permits

Transmission & Grid

Illinois's 345kV+ transmission network connects nuclear plants to load centers across two regional transmission organizations: PJM (ComEd territory, northern IL) and MISO (Ameren territory, central/southern IL).

366

345kV+ line segments

HIFLD

Transmission Owners

Commonwealth Edison (ComEd): 111 segments. Serves northern Illinois including Braidwood, Byron, Dresden, LaSalle, and Quad Cities service areas.

Ameren Illinois: 92 segments. Serves central and southern Illinois including Clinton service area.

Source: HIFLD Electric Power Transmission Lines. Accessed 2026-03-27.

Spent Fuel & Waste

The NLIC RFI explicitly ties new nuclear development to waste disposition. Illinois already manages significant spent fuel inventories — including the only commercial away-from-reactor storage facility in the country.

Morris Operation — GE-Hitachi ISFSI

The Morris facility (NRC Docket 72-0001) stores 772 metric tons of spent fuel from five reactor sites: Dresden, Cooper, Connecticut Yankee, Monticello, and San Onofre. It is the only licensed commercial away-from-reactor wet spent fuel storage facility in the United States.

License renewed to 2042. Operated by GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, LLC.

Source: Federal Register 2022-24993, ANS Nuclear Newswire

On-Site Dry Cask Storage

All six operating plants maintain ISFSI facilities for on-site dry cask storage of spent fuel. The decommissioned Zion site also retains an ISFSI (Docket 72-1037) with spent fuel remaining after the 2023 site release.

Source: NRC ISFSI Licensing Database

Sources

NRC Reactor Info Finder • WNA Reactor Database • EIA-860/923 • HIFLD Electric Power Transmission Lines • USDOT BTS North American Rail Network • USACE Waterway Network • FHWA STRAHNET • DOE NLIC RFI (Jan 2026) • AAR Freight Rail Data • IDOT • Federal Register

Full methodology and source documentation →

Nuclear Sites

Operating reactor

Decommissioned

Spent fuel storage

National lab / university

Fuel cycle facility