Illinois: An Energy And Economic Analysis

Illinois is the most populated and prosperous Midwestern state, ranking 5^th in the nation in population. The state plays an important role in the nation’s economy because of its central location and access to major waterways, and rail and aviation hubs. The state is a key transportation hub for crude oil and natural gas moving throughout North America. Illinois has substantial amounts of coal reserves and some crude oil reserves. It leads the nation in nuclear power, which supplies almost 50 percent of the state’s electricity. Coal supplies over 40 percent of the state’s electricity. But both nuclear and coal are imperiled by the state’s renewable electricity mandate which requires that at least 25 percent of electricity comes from renewable energy after 2025, of which the majority is mandated to be wind power. Renewable mandates increase the costs of running nuclear and coal plants.