ICC Adopts The States First Renewable Energy Access Plan

On Thursday, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) adopted the state’s first Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP), an actionable roadmap to ensure Illinois meets its policy requirements for an equitable, reliable, and cost-effective clean electricity system.

The REAP is intended to be a tool to encourage regional transmission organizations (RTOs) to be more proactive in pursing long-range transmission planning improvements to support future renewable energy development in their service territories.

“This first REAP lays a path to help Illinois achieve its decarbonization goals by 2050,” said ICC Chairman Doug Scott. “The REAP will serve as an important resource for regulators, policymakers, RTOs, and other stakeholders as Illinois’ energy transition continues to evolve, all while keeping affordability top of mind and ensuring our grid remains resilient and reliable.”

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), enacted in September 2021, required the ICC to open an investigation to develop and adopt a REAP. The plan must be reinvestigated again in 2025 and every two years thereafter.

This and future REAP iterations are intended to clarify and quantify Illinois’ policy requirements and goals; set clear timelines to meet the goals of CEJA; translate these requirements into the volume of renewable and clean resources needed over time; highlight attractive renewable energy zones (REAP Zones) within the state; identify and recommend pathways to utilize these zones to inform transmission planning; identify reforms to transmission interconnection and planning processes needed to ensure that the required resources can be deployed; and identify potential reforms to RTO markets to reliably and affordably support Illinois’ clean electricity transition.

The REAP makes initial findings and recommendations organized around five strategic elements:

Tracking Progress Toward Illinois’ Policy Goals: Clarify the outlook for renewable and clean energy supply needs to determine how much renewable access must be created;

Transitioning to a 100 percent Clean Electricity Mix: Examine the incentives and enforcement mechanisms that may be needed to support competitive investment in a reliable mix of resources throughout the transition to 100 percent clean electricity;

Managing Land Use in Renewable Deployment: Identify opportunities to equitably manage land use in renewable deployment and coordination with transmission development, including through the development of REAP Zones;

Effective Transmission Planning and Utilization: Develop a strategy for maximizing the use of existing transmission infrastructure and proactively planning around future needs to provide the necessary transmission cost effectively and reduce barriers to renewable development;

And Leveraging Regional Electricity Markets and Trade: Identify opportunities for leveraging regional electricity markets and trade to access the most efficient resources, avoid emissions leakage, and maintain reliability.

The REAP was coauthored by Illinois Commerce Commission staff and experts from The Brattle Group. Consultants from Great Lakes Engineering served as contributing authors.

The complete and final first Renewable Energy Access Plan is available under Docket No. 22-0749.