Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act into law on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at Joliet Junior College. This legislation, which was approved by the General Assembly in October, implements several changes to Illinois' energy policy.
A primary provision of the Act is the lifting of the state's existing moratorium on the construction of new nuclear power plants.
In addition to changes regarding nuclear energy, the bill includes measures for renewable energy and storage. It mandates the development of three gigawatts of utility-scale battery storage. The Act also aims to facilitate the integration of more wind and solar energy projects within the state and establishes a system for solar panel owners to receive compensation for electricity supplied to the grid.
The legislation's stated objective is to improve the state's capacity to manage spikes in energy demand.
The signing of this bill coincides with a period of increasing electricity costs for consumers served by ComEd in Illinois. Jim Chilsen, representing the Citizens Utility Board, indicated that rising electricity prices are largely due to increased supply costs, which he attributed to heightened energy demand, particularly from data centers.