Renewable Energy Access Plan

Renewable Energy Access Plan Informal Processes Renewable Energy Access Plan Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) The REAP, as directed in Public Act 102-0662, aims to identify zones in the state that are suitable for renewable energy development. The REAP, and its updates, seek to both highlight those zones and develop a plan for connecting the REAP zones with sufficient transmission capacity. Over time, the REAP reports will consider potential changes to those REAP zones as well. REAP Workshops 2026 REAP 2026 Workshop 1, March 31, 2026 1:00-2:30pm: - Workshop Agenda A status update on the 2025 REAP cycle and the ongoing proceeding Objectives of this year's update including new requirements from CRGA A tentative stakeholder engagement plan, highlighting co-ordination with the Mit Plan and IRP Prime stakeholders for the Tx project RFI that we expect will be released a couple weeks later for evaluation in this year's Draft REAP update Workshop Materials E3 and Staff Presentation Comment Form - form will be activated Tuesday March 31 at 2:30 CT. Workshop Recording Workshop Feedback Workshop Feedback Joint Comments Unlocking The Grid - Attachment Prior REAP Reports The first REAP report was initiated in 2022 and approved on May 30, 2024. More information on the REAP can also be found in Docket number 22-0749 2025 Draft Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) Updated REAP Report and Illinois Staff Workshop Series The REAP also requires regular updates. The REAP updates will both evaluate the existing REAP zones and consider potential changes to those zones. As part of the next REAP update, the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) will create a Working Group and hold a series of staff-led public workshops to gather feedback and questions on the REAP process. A Draft REAP Update was be presented to the Commission in Fall 2025, and the Commission initiated an investigation with an Order on December 18, 2025 under docket number 25-1074. Draft Update Commission Order Beginning Investigation Details about the REAP workshops are located below. The workshops are open to all interested parties. Workshop 1: January 31, 2025 at 10am Slides from January 31 Comments from January 30th: Workshop and open comment period information Magellan Wind Comments - Attachment A Magellan Wind Comments - Attachment B Magellan Wind Comments - Attachment C Magellan Wind - Working Group Proposal Clean Grid ComEd Illinois Farm Bureau ELCON and REACT NRG Companies LS Power Quantum Energy ITC SOO Green HVDC Link ProjectCo, LLC - Submitted February 14, 2025 ComEd - Submitted February 14, 2025 Following the January 31, 2025 REAP workshop, the ICC will continue to accept feedback on the next set of REAP workshops through February 14, 2025. REAP workshop feedback should be focused on both the content and structure of future workshops. Interested parties should provide potential topic ideas, meeting formats, or other input to toba.pearlman@illinois.gov. Please include the subject line “REAP Working Group Comments January 2025”. Comments will be posted on the ICC’s website. Workshop 2: July 1, 2025 from 1-3pm REAP Cycle #2 Priorities and Schedule Integrated Planning Approach to REAP Stakeholder Engagement Process and Next Steps Workshop 2 Documents amd Meeting Materials July 1, 2025 Workshop Slides July 1, 2025 Workshop Chat July 1, 2025 Workshop Recording Investigating & Refining REAP Zones - Stakeholder Comments and Suggestions - Comment Periiod July 1, 2025 through July 16, 2025 Workshop #2 Feedback Workshop 3: August 19, 2025 from 1:00 to 2:30 pm CT Workshop #3 Webex Information August 19, 2025 Workshop Slides August 19, 2025 Workshop Recording Workshop #3 Feedback ICC thanks participants from the public workshop #2 held on July 1, 2025. During the workshop it was noted that workshop #3 is tentatively scheduled for September 16, 2025. To ensure that ICC and its consultants have sufficient time to include feedback to be received in the Draft REAP, workshop #3 will now take place on August 19, 2025, from 1 to 2.30 pm CT. The topic will be "Getting to 100% Clean Energy and Transmission Planning", as proposed in workshop #1 on January 31, 2025, with emphasis on scenario design. Slides will be posted a few days in advance. Workshop 4: September 9, 2025 1:00 to 3:00 pm CT Workshop #4 Webex Information September 9, 2025 Workshop Recording Stakeholder presentations below: Environmental Law and Policy Center Bekaert Union of Concerned Scientists CGA Workshop 5: October 7, 2025 1:00 to 2:00 pm CT Workshop 5 will explore how to leverage regional processes and markets to advance REAP goals. Workshop #5 Webex Information Workshop #5 Webex slides Workshop #5 Recording Workshop #5 Feedback Community Engagement Lunch-and-Learn Workshop #1: September 29. 2025 12:00 to 1:00 PM CT The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) and Staff would like to invite you and your organization to the Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) Cycle #2 Community Engagement Workshop #1. The ICC and Staff would like to provide an overview of the REAP program and begin a conversation with communities about this REAP, and future REAP cycles, and how the REAP can better reflect local priorities, opportunities, and concerns. Your participation is essential in shaping this process. Community Engagement Webinar Slides Meeting Recording Community Outreach Feedback What to Expect: A short overview of the Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) and what it means for Illinois communities Your input on how communities and organizations like yours can engage in the process. An opportunity to share your ideas, experiences and questions. Information about the REAP and previous stakeholder meetings can be found at the ICC REAP website Summary of the Renewable Energy Access Plan Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) (Public Act 102-0662) requires the ICC to develop the Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) The REAP requirements include but are not limited to: Designate renewable energy access plan zones within the state Develop a transmission plan to access the renewable energy within the state Coordinate with Regional Transmission Organizations (RTO) on planning Make use of any technology to help lower the cost of delivering renewable energy The REAP process started in 2022. The ICC Staff, with significant stakeholder input, proposed a draft REAP in December 2022. After a docketed proceeding, the Commission published a final REAP in May 2024 (Final Order in Docket No. 22-0749).If you are unable to attend this webinar, ICC Staff values your opinion and would appreciate your feedback on our community engagement efforts. If you could send an email to ILREAP@ethree.com , we will provide some brief background information and the comment form link. Community Engagement Meeting #1 Lunch-and-Learn - 9/29/2025 at 12pm CDT Webex Information In addition, whether you attend the meeting or not, feel free to change your thoughts on the REAP at the following survey Illinois Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) Cycle #2 – Stakeholder Presentations ICC Staff will hold an additional workshop that allows interested stakeholders to each provide a 10-to-20-minute presentation on a REAP-relevant topic to help inform the REAP analysis and report. The workshop is scheduled for 1-3 CDT on Tuesday, 9th of September 2025 Each presentation must be emailed to ilreap@ethree.com by the end of day on Wednesday, 3rd of September 2025 . A compilation of all presentations will be uploaded to the IL REAP website before the workshop. ICC Staff and Stakeholder Engagement team will moderate the presentations and will contain slide deck presentation controls. If you are interested in presenting at this workshop, please provide your name, organization, proposed presentation topic, and 1-2 sentence summary of proposed contents to ilreap@ethree.com by the end of day on Wednesday, 20th of August 2025 Current REAP Development The REAP process is ongoing. During the 2025 REAP workshops, the Illinois General Assembly passed Public Act 104-0458. This act updated the REAP’s goals, including requiring consideration of advanced transmission technologies (ATTs) and headroom in planning for meeting Illinois’s energy goals. Further, this act also changed the timeline for the REAP by beginning a new REAP process in 2026. ICC staff is currently collaborating with interested parties to determine how to effectively begin a new REAP process. Get Involved If you want to join the REAP distribution list, please click the link button to fill out the form Join The Distribution List General Background on the Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) Public Act 102-0662 was enacted by the General Assembly with an effective date of September 15, 2021. The Act requires the Commission, no later than December 31, 2022, to open an investigation to develop and adopt a renewable energy access plan (“REAP”). Prior to opening the investigation, the Act requires the Commission to publish a draft report and then provide for a 120-day open public comment period. The final draft report is to be published within 90 days of the end of the public comment period. The plan is, at a minimum, to do the following: designate renewable energy access plan zones throughout this State in areas in which renewable energy resources and suitable land areas are sufficient for developing generating capacity from renewable energy technologies; develop a plan to achieve transmission capacity necessary to deliver the electric output from renewable energy technologies in the renewable energy access plan zones to customers in Illinois and other states in a manner that is most beneficial and cost-effective to customers; use this State's position as an electricity generation and power transmission hub to create new investment in this State's renewable energy resources; consider programs, policies, and electric transmission projects that can be adopted within this State that promote the cost-effective delivery of power from renewable energy resources interconnected to the bulk electric system to meet the renewable portfolio standard targets under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act; consider proposals to improve regional transmission organizations' regional and interregional system planning processes, especially proposals that reduce costs and emissions, create jobs, and increase State and regional power system reliability to prevent high-cost outages that can endanger lives, and analyze of how those proposals would improve reliability and cost-effective delivery of electricity in Illinois and the region; make findings and policy recommendations based on technical and policy analysis regarding locations of renewable energy access plan zones and the transmission system developments needed to cost-effectively achieve the public policy goals identified herein; and present the Commission's conclusions and proposed recommendations based on its analysis and use the findings and policy recommendations to determine actions that the Commission should take. No later than December 31, 2025, and every other year thereafter, the Commission is to open an investigation to develop and adopt an updated renewable energy access plan that, at a minimum, evaluates the implementation and effectiveness of the renewable energy access plan, recommends improvements to the renewable energy access plan, and provides changes to transmission capacity necessary to deliver electric output from the renewable energy access plan zones. Technical and Policy Experts To assist and support the Commission in the development of the plan, the Commission is to retain the services of technical and policy experts with relevant fields of expertise. Through a competitive procurement process, the Commission used the services of The Brattle Group for the 2024 approved REAP. The Commission is in the process of selecting technical experts for the updated REAP 2024 Renewable Energy Access Plan (REAP) On July 12, 2022, Staff of the Commission published a First Draft REAP that comprehensively and actionably outlines the path to an equitable, reliable, and affordable path to meeting Illinois’ policy requirements for a clean electricity system. Co-authored with the Brattle Group and Great Lakes Engineering, the Draft REAP identified key work areas and outlines next steps for a transmission and land use analysis to be undertaken over the subsequent months. An updated First draft was published on August 3, 2022. The Draft was open for comment for 120 days, and the Commission, with the Brattle Group, hosted a series of workshops to gather further information. A Second Draft REAP was be presented to the Commission in Fall 2022, and the Commission initiated an investigation with an Order on December 15, 2022 under docket number 22-0749 . The 2024 REAP was approved on May 30, 2024. First Draft Plan First Draft Plan (edited 8/3/2022) Second Draft Plan Commission Order Beginning ICC Investigation REAP (Adopted by the Commission 5/30/24 in Docket No. 22-0749) Workshop 1: August 16, 9-11am Central Summary of CEJA Goals, Intro to the REAP Overview of Initial Draft REAP and analysis in progress Initial stakeholder and public comment on CEJA goals, draft report, and question (below) Tracy Fox from Central Illinois Healthy Community Alliance/Illinois People’s Action Delmar Gillus from Elevate Energy Toba Pearlman from NRDC Open discussion Workshop 1 Documents Workshop 1 Slides Workshop 1 Chat Workshop 1 Video Questions for Stakeholder Feedback: How should equity considerations be incorporated into identification of candidate renewable access zones? How can equity zones be utilized in the development of access zones, and how can these areas be prioritized? Equitable process is critical to achieving equitable outcomes. How else we can ensure equitable access to providing the feedback to this report? Are the preliminary criteria listed in the first draft REAP appropriate for identifying candidate Renewable Energy Zones? Please specify any additional criteria that should be considered. Which land-use considerations should be included in the determination of candidate renewable energy zones, and what is the relative importance of these considerations? Identify any additional land use considerations that should be included in the determination of candidate renewable energy zones, and any data sources that would assist the final REAP refine land use considerations throughout Illinois. Should areas of fossil retirements be highlighted for use in candidate renewable access zones, or are these locations are well-utilized? Please provide feedback on the draft process for identifying candidate renewable energy zones. Please discuss the need for statewide renewable energy ordinances, or other reforms that would expand the available area for future renewable energy development. Workshop 2: September 12, 9am-12pm Central Welcome by ICC Staff Presentation on Strategic Partnership with PJM (PJM) Presentation on Strategic Partnership with MISO (MISO) Open discussion Workshop 2 Documents PJM Presentation MISO Presentation Workshop 2 Final Slides Workshop 2 Video Workshop 3: October 6, 9-11am Central Welcome (ICC Staff) GIS-based Land Suitability Analysis for Identifying Solar Development Potential in the State of Illinois (SEDAC) Renewable Energy Zones in the REAP (Brattle) Comments: Clean Grid Alliance Comments: Illinois Farm Bureau Open discussion Workshop 3 Documents GIS-based Land Suitability Analysis for Identifying Solar Development Potential in the State of Illinois (SEDAC) Renewable Energy Zones in the REAP (Brattle) Clean Grid Alliance Workshop 3 Chat Workshop 3 Video