Welcome to the Illinois Power Agency Policy Study

The Agency has developed this webpage to share key information around the IPA Policy Study focused on energy storage, offshore wind, and high voltage direct current transmission. This webpage is intended to provide information and updates about the Policy Study.

The Illinois General Assembly passed House Bill 3445 (HB 3445) on May 26, 2023. HB 3445 directs the Illinois Power Agency to conduct a Policy Study to evaluate the potential impacts of proposals made during the Illinois General Assembly’s Spring 2023 Legislative Session and provide policy recommendations for the General Assembly. The following proposals will be the subject of the IPA Policy Study:

• Senate Bill 1587 would require the Agency to develop a storage procurement plan that results in electric utilities contracting for energy storage credits from contracted energy storage systems.
• House Bill 2132 would require the Agency to develop a procurement process to “procure at least 700,000 renewable energy credits, delivered annually for at least 20 years, from one new utility-scale offshore wind project [in Lake Michigan].”
• A policy requiring the Agency to procure HVDC renewable energy credits related to an HVDC line, which the Agency understands to be the Soo Green Line. 

Although Governor Pritzker issued an amendatory veto of HB 3445 on August 16, 2023, the Agency plans on proceeding with the Policy Study regardless of the status of HB 3445. The Agency will publish a draft of the Policy Study by January 21, 2024 for public comments and will publish a final Study no later than March 1, 2024.

The IPA has engaged its Planning and Procurement Consultant, Levitan and Associates, to undertake the modeling and analytical work necessary to conduct the Policy Study. The Policy Study will utilize industry standard modeling tools including GE MARS to evaluate the impacts on generation reliability and resource adequacy; PSS/E and TARA to evaluate the impacts on transmission reliability and grid resilience; Aurora production cost simulation to evaluate the impacts on electricity prices and generation related emissions; and IMPLAN to evaluate the impacts on the State’s economy.

The Agency’s Planning and Procurement Bureau will work closely with Levitan on analyzing results from these modeling tools and will develop policy recommendations for the General Assembly that consider:

The Agency seeks input from stakeholders throughout this process to ensure that the Policy Study is driven by research-based knowledge coupled with objectivity and transparency, and shaped by broad involvement and representation from diverse parties.

• Announcement (August 23, 2023)
• Technical Information Requests (August 23, 2023)
• Request for Stakeholder Feedback (September 29, 2023)

For questions and comments about the IPA Policy Study, please email IPA.ContactUs@illinois.gov.