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A study by the Nuclear Energy Institute has tallied up the economic impact of Exelon's nuclear plants in Illinois as the utility threatens to close several unprofitable reactors unless changes are made to the state's energy market.

The analysis (.pdf) released Wednesday reported that Exelon's 11 reactors in the state provide nearly half of Illinois' power and have operated with a capacity factor of 96 percent over the last decade. They employ about 5,900 people and generate $8.9 billion in annual economic output, defined as the value of their power production, as well as secondary economic effects that include the way employees' spending influences the demand for goods in their local communities. Full-time employees at Exelon's nuclear facilities in Illinois earned an average of $105,300 in 2012. Additionally, Exelon's nuclear facilities provide $290 million in revenue to state and local governments and nearly $1.1 billion to the federal government, which includes taxes derived from economic activity attributable to the plants.

Exelon has told state legislators that it will likely close five reactors at the Byron, Quad Cities and Clinton plants if market conditions affected by low natural gas costs and periods of excess wind generation don't improve. The study found that doing so would reduce the fleet's direct economic output in 2016 by $2.4 billion and its secondary economic impact by a further $1.2 billion. The study did not address how much of that economic activity might be made up by non-nuclear power plants replacing the lost generation capacity in the future. Regardless, the closing of reactors elsewhere in the country has shown that the impact to the communities hosting the plants would be substantial.

Exelon has not publicly advocated for specific legislative measures to support the plants, but its leaders have suggested that the reactors' revenue should reflect their positive effect on grid stability and in helping the state meet its carbon-emissions reduction goals. The utility has pushed back when it plans to make a decision on the closures, from before the end of this year to June of 2015.