(The Center Square) – Democratic legislators have introduced measures in Springfield they say will strengthen Illinois’ energy efficiency and prioritize clean energy.
State Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago, said she hoped the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) and a battery storage measure announced last week would be part of an energy package to be ready before the end of the current legislative session.
Williams said the CRGA legislation would address challenges facing Illinois’ electric grid as well as price spikes and climate challenges. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office is heavily involved in the discussions, she said.
“We have a bicameral group. We have the governor’s office very heavily involved in the discussions. I think we’re to the point that we agree about the problem. We agree about the topics that we need to focus on moving forward,” said Williams. “Now it’s just a matter of hearing from stakeholders, hearing from communities, hearing from our residents about how they’d like the clean energy future to look moving forward in terms of these pressures on the grid.”
Williams’ House Bill 3779 matches Senate Bill 2473, proposed by state Sen. Bill Cunningham, D-Chicago. Cunningham also filed Senate Bill 2497, which would allow for 15 gigawatt battery storage facilities to store wind and solar energy across the state.
A coalition of environmental groups are supporting the CRGA bills, which Williams described as a “comprehensive suite” of energy measures.
Climate strategist Kady McFadden spoke on behalf of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition and said new data centers would be required to bring 100% of the energy they’re going to use in new generation.
“That energy should be 100% clean, and data centers should shoulder 100% of the added cost that they add to the grid,” McFadden said.
McFadden said clean energy did not include nuclear, only wind and solar.
Kari Ross of the Natural Resources Defense Council spoke Tuesday in support of the legislation.
“The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act strengthens the resiliency of Illinois’ power grid, protects consumers from increasingly volatile energy costs, and continues to build our clean energy economy,” Ross said.
“In the face of an outdated power grid that struggles to maintain reliability through extreme weather events and unexpected surges in demand from large energy users like data centers, the time to act is now,” Ross added.
Ameren and ComEd would face new mandates if the legislation is passed.
Ross said Ameren and ComEd would both be required to perform at 2% of energy savings across the board.
“That will be a larger increase for Ameren, as we know, but it’s really important to the coalition to ensure that northern Illinoisans, central and southern Illinoisans are all receiving the same level of energy efficiency support,” Ross said.
Ameren Illinois provided a statement to The Center Square.
“We’re seeing an unprecedented demand for energy from new and expanding businesses, and we’re encouraged that solutions are being proposed to help attract these projects while ensuring that power is available to meet the everyday needs of our customers,” said Ameren Illinois spokesman Tucker Kennedy. “We look forward to working with stakeholders on the best approach to maintain service reliability and keep energy costs affordable for all.”
