* WTTW…

Electricity set to be generated by a downstate solar farm will power more than 425 large city-owned buildings and facilities in Chicago by 2025 under a deal worth $422.2 million announced Monday by Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Lightfoot and Pritzker, who are both running for re-election, put aside their tense relationship and joined forces to announce the deal with Constellation and Swift Current Energy that they said would start to reverse climate change, which scientists say has already begun to cause disasters such as floods and strong storms.

Pritzker called the deal an “enormously positive development” that proves a 2021 bill that he signed into law that sets a goal of 2045 for Illinois to have all its energy from renewable sources will be effective — while setting aside 10% of jobs for workers from areas of Chicago and Illinois that suffer from disinvestment.

Starting in 2025, the city will use 300 megawatts it plans to purchase from Constellation to power O’Hare and Midway airports, the Harold Washington Library Center and the Jardine Water Purification Plant near Navy Pier with solar power set to be generated by Swift Current Energy in Sangamon and Morgan counties, officials said.

* City of Chicago…

Key terms of the contract include:

-The City has signed an energy supply agreement with an initial five-year term with Constellation beginning in January 2023.
-As part of the agreement with Constellation, beginning in 2025, the City will partially source its large energy uses such as the airports, Harold Washington Library Center and Jardine Water Purification Plant with clean, renewable energy from a new solar generation installation currently being developed by Swift Current Energy in downstate Sangamon and Morgan counties.  
-Construction of the solar project is expected to start before the end of 2022 and is anticipated to create hundreds of jobs in Illinois.
-The City will also procure Renewable Energy Credits from other sources for its remaining power uses, such as small and medium-sized buildings and streetlights.  
-Swift Current Energy will own and operate Double Black Diamond Solar, which at 593 megawatts, is expected to be one of the largest solar projects in Illinois to date.

* Chicago Tribune…

The announcement comes nearly a year after Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed legislation that aims to put Illinois on a path to 100% carbon-free energy by 2050, with coal, oil and natural gas power plants scheduled to close over the coming decades. It also seeks to boost the development of wind and solar energy across the state, put more electric vehicles on the road and make it easier for Black and Latino workers and businesses to enter the renewable energy industry.

By and large, coal plants would have to shut down by 2030, while natural gas plants would have until 2045. When the General Assembly passed the energy bill in September 2021, it also called for a nearly $700 million bailout of three nuclear power plants that at the time were owned by Exelon, the parent company of ComEd, plagued by a jobs-for-bribes scandal that has led to millions of dollars in fines for the electricity giant and a series of criminal indictments, including against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. In February, Constellation split from Exelon and Constellation retained Illinois the power plants in the deal.

The federal budget package approved by the U.S. Senate Sunday also includes hundreds of billions of dollar in initiatives to address climate change. The legislation must still pass the House of Representatives.

* Chicago Sun Times…

Work on the solar farm will start in a few months, creating nearly 1,000 jobs, Pritzker said.

“And by 2025, hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans will get their energy needs met by an entirely renewable energy source. It’s momentous. … Illinois is a leader in the clean energy revolution. In this state, we take seriously the looming threats of the climate crisis.”

The new five-year contract is “a historic moment in our city’s obligation to combat climate change with concrete, tangible steps toward a renewable future,” Lightfoot said.

But, the mayor warned, “It can’t just be about the government. Although we have an important role to play, each of us needs to step up and do our part. We must work as hard as we possibly can to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change, which we see manifest almost every single day across the country and across our world.”

Without Pritzker’s Climate and Equitable Jobs Act and its “explicit attention toward economic equity and climate justice,” the landmark agreement would not have been possible, the mayor said.

* ABC7…

“I am incredibly proud to advance this commitment to transitioning all city operations to 100% renewable energy by 2025,” Lightfoot said. “The signing of this agreement demonstrates that the City of Chicago is leading by example and driving high-impact climate action, building the clean energy workforce of the future and equitably distributing meaningful benefits to foster the local clean energy economy for all.”

“We are providing a clean energy solution that will help the City of Chicago,” said Chief Commercial Officer of Constellation Energy Jim McHugh.

The mayor’s office also said the deal will also provide renewable energy to other major organizations throughout the state.

* Block Club Chicago…

“As the owner or operator of over 425 facilities city-wide, including City Hall and one of the world’s busiest airports, it is imperative that we as city leaders take all
measures necessary to decarbonize our assets and to mitigate the disastrous effects of climate change,” said Sandra Blakemore, acting commissioner for the city’s Department of Assets, Information & Services.

Additionally, the city plans to buy renewable energy credits from other sources for its remaining power uses, such as small and medium-sized buildings and streetlights, according to a news release.

Constellation and Swift Current Energy will also fund job training, apprenticeships, education and various other programs in Chicago that will focus on developing and nurturing a sustainability-focused workforce, officials said.