Wasting Zion's energy is foolish

Unless there is intervention soon, Zion's dual nuclear facility, capable of producing 2,100 megawatts of power, will be foolishly wasted.

Exelon Corporation, which owns and operates six other nuclear plants in Illinois, has until November to cancel its contract with Energy Solutions out of Iowa for decommissioning.

Restarting the Zion Nuclear Power Station could potentially save Illinois citizens billions of dollars and massively reduce carbon emissions, in addition to the following benefits:

•Lower electricity prices for consumers by hundreds of millions of dollars.

•Create hundreds of permanent jobs operating the plant and raise significant tax revenues for Zion and Illinois.

•Displace the CO2 output equivalent of perhaps eight coal power generation plants with emission-free power.

•Satisfy the state's desire for additional emission-free power generation quickly, at perhaps 30 percent of the cost and many times the reliability of other renewable options, while using none of the thousands of acres needed for wind and solar facilities.

•The citizens of Illinois and the government would otherwise spend billions to subsidize and build immensely more expensive and less efficient wind and power facilities to meet its clean emissions goals.

Many have argued restarting Zion would be too costly. Estimates range from $400 million to Exelon's more pessimistic estimate of $2 billion. This argument is not credible when compared to the estimated $14 billion cost of building the new Georgia plant of equal capacity where the federal government is guaranteeing part of the debt.

Zion's licenses do expire in 2013, but plant licenses are routinely extended for 20 years or more.

Since the people of Illinois have already fully paid for the Zion plant in prior rates - additionally, a $1 billion decommissioning fund is being held by Exelon - restarting the Zion dual nuclear plant is the only sensible thing to do.

If you feel your electricity rates are too high, and who doesn't, contact your legislators with this message: The Zion plant must be saved and not wasted!

Nancy J. Thorner

Lake Bluff