* I went over this report with subscribers early today. Crain’s…
Northern Illinois will soon transition from being a net exporter to a net importer of electricity and faces potential power shortages in the next several years.
A new report prepared by several state agencies highlights the challenges facing energy customers in Illinois as the state transitions away from fossil-fuel power plants at the same time that demand for power is skyrocketing because of data centers and other large users of electricity.
With demand for power in the area served by Commonwealth Edison projected to increase 24% between 2025 and 2030, Northern Illinois will begin to import power from the PJM regional grid starting in 2030, according to the report out today from the Illinois Power Agency, Illinois Commerce Commission and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. […]
But one thing is clear: Power prices, which have increased sharply in the past two years, are going to keep rising. The report projects spending on power across ComEd’s territory will nearly double from $2.1 billion annually to $3.9 billion by 2030.
A bill passed during veto session, which the governor has said he’ll sign, will allow the government to ease pollution reduction mandates in the face of looming power shortages.
You can find the full report here.
* Sun-Times…
The report suggests natural gas plants could be built in the state to help bridge the power needs until cleaner sources of electricity, such as solar and wind, are constructed. One state lawmaker said it will likely delay the closing of some dirtier, more polluting gas plants that are supposed to shut down in the next several years under the 2021 law.
“The upshot is the energy transition in Illinois is likely to be more gradual and more reliant on natural gas plants than previously thought,” said state Sen. Bill Cunningham, a Democrat from Beverly.
Cunningham has been a point person in Springfield on clean energy legislation.
“We tried to expect the unexpected,” he added. “The unexpected turned out to be data centers.” […]
In a statement, a Pritzker spokesperson said the “state set up a deliberate process to address findings from this resource adequacy study,” and said the governor will sign the most recent energy legislation passed in October.
The report says that data centers are the “primary driver” behind increased electricity demand. As subscribers know, there’s lots more in that report, so click here. Subscribers also have access to reactions to the report which aren’t mentioned in either of the above stories, so click here for that.
* Meanwhile, Amazon is trying to defend its data center energy usage with a weird claim…
Amazon pays for its own electricity costs—these expenses aren’t added to the bills of local residents or businesses.
Nobody, but nobody is saying that.
…Adding… From the governor’s office…
“The new state resource adequacy report confirms what we have known: rising demand and changes in generation, both in Illinois and across the region, are reshaping the energy landscape. Illinois is prepared, with a strong grid and remains an energy exporter today that continues to deliver reliable power for working families and businesses.
Under Governor Pritzker’s leadership, the state has acted proactively through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) and the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) — which he intends to sign — to strengthen planning, manage reliability risks, and lower energy costs for working families. Thanks to CEJA, Illinois not only saved our nuclear reactors but also expanded our renewable energy portfolio, resulting in 7,369 MW more power than Illinois would have had without these policies, and another 7,456 MW underdevelopment. CRGA builds on this by adding 3,000 MW of battery storage to the state’s resource mix. At the regional level, the Governor is actively pushing PJM to address rising capacity costs and ensure the grid remains reliable and lower costs for all Illinois working families and businesses.
With two strong laws, the state set up a deliberate process to address findings from this resource adequacy study and ensure Illinois continues to lead the country in delivering a clean, reliable, affordable energy future for all.”
- Blue Dog - Tuesday, Dec 16, 25 @ 2:41 pm:
but we are mothballing coal plants in southern Illinois, yet barging southern Illinois coal overseas. doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
- Candy Dogood - Tuesday, Dec 16, 25 @ 2:51 pm:
===Nobody, but nobody is saying that. ===
It is such an odd thing to be saying it makes me wonder if somewhere out there Amazon is passing their electrical expenses onto local residents or businesses.
Either that, or someone is doing a poor job of trying to suggest that Amazon’s demand for electricity is not driving rates higher and causing increased prices for consumers — which wouldn’t be true but at least would provide an explanation for such an odd thing to say.
- New Day - Tuesday, Dec 16, 25 @ 2:55 pm:
This report presents a firm grasp of the obvious. That’s not meant as a criticism but more as a recognition of trends that have been clear for the last two years. Folks in the renewable industry have tried raising the alarm bells on this. Bottom line, as Crain’s said, “But one thing is clear: Power prices, which have increased sharply in the past two years, are going to keep rising.” We just need to hope we have enough energy and capacity to satisfy what hopefully will be a growing economy.
- The Farm Grad - Tuesday, Dec 16, 25 @ 3:12 pm:
“but we are mothballing coal plants in southern Illinois, yet barging southern Illinois coal overseas. doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. ”
Meanwhile, China inaugurates five coal plants a month because AI needs the dispatchable power that solar and wind can’t provide. Also, China has 30 nuclear power plants under construction
- Blue Dog - Tuesday, Dec 16, 25 @ 3:19 pm:
JB Pritzker cannot win a national election based on his performance in this area. Raise Illinois electric rates under the guise of clean energy, but sending Illinois coal overseas so our competitors can have cheap energy. I guess out of sight is out of mind.