Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation lifting a three-decade moratorium on development of nuclear reactors in the state.

Small modular reactors – usually defined as those producing less than 300 MW of power – will be allowed from the beginning January 2026.

Sue Rezin, a Republic senator representing the 38th district in north-central Illinois and the proposal’s sponsor, argued that nuclear power is a critical part of the state’s renewable energy portfolio.

“Illinois has a long, successful and safe history of nuclear energy generation,” Rezin said in a statement after the Democratic governor’s action, which she said “will ensure that our state can remain a leader in the energy sector by offering us the ability to utilise the amazing advancements in new nuclear energy technology”.