The Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, a wholesale electric supplier to 32 municipally owned utilities, started receiving 25 megawatts of energy and capacity from Big River Solar in Southern Illinois beginning June 1, 2025.
The power is contracted through a power purchase agreement with the solar site’s owner, DESRI.
IMEA will receive 25 MW of the total 149 MW the project generates for a term of ten years. While IMEA receives the energy and capacity, it does not receive the Renewable Energy Credits associated with this project.
Big River Solar is the latest utility-scale solar power purchase agreement for IMEA, but it joins another significant utility-scale investment by the Agency that occurred late last year, Bee Hollow Solar. Bee Hollow is a 150 MW solar facility that is expected to be operational in late 2026 and upon completion, IMEA will receive all energy, capacity, and RECs from the project.
IMEA has several solar facilities that are already providing clean energy in the agency’s member municipality communities of Altamont, Naperville, Rantoul, Rock Falls, St. Charles, Oglesby, Princeton and Marshall.
IMEA continues to move to cleaner energy generation as it strives to be net-zero by 2050. The agency’s Sustainability Plan details the path to achieving this goal and is available on its website.
