Residents of 32 municipalities will soon receive greener power thanks to a new supply arrangement negotiated by the municipalities' wholesale electric provider, the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency, IMEA said on Nov. 22.
The agency has executed a 20-year agreement with solar developer National Grid Renewables to purchase all the electric output and related attributes of the Bee Hollow solar generation facility to be located outside Fayetteville, a village on the Kaskaskia River in St. Clair County, Illinois.
The 150-megawatt facility is expected to achieve commercial operations in late 2026.
IMEA’s board has sought to add large-scale solar, “and with this utility-scale solar generating facility the organization is seeing its vision realized,” it said.
Cory Sheehy, IMEA Board Chairman, said, “IMEA has been adding solar energy generation for years now, but we wanted to expand renewable generation beyond our existing arrays. With the 150 MW Bee Hollow project, we are making a significant investment in transitioning to a green energy future, while still having diversity in our energy portfolio to provide the affordable and reliable electricity that our communities have come to expect.”
Smaller scale solar facilities already in IMEA’s renewable power portfolio are located in Altamont, Naperville, Rantoul, Rock Falls, and St. Charles, with more coming online this spring in Oglesby, Princeton and Marshall.
In addition to the National Grid Renewables contract, IMEA has a contract with another solar development company for 25 MW of utility-scale solar from the Big River Solar Farm located in White County, Illinois, starting in June of 2025.
The addition of a 150-MW solar generating facility shows IMEA’s commitment to its 2024 Sustainability Plan, it noted.
“Adding this substantial amount of renewable energy generation means that IMEA has more than achieved its target of adding 100 MW of new utility-scale solar by 2026,” it said.
IMEA is a not-for-profit agency that provides energy to 32 municipal electric systems across Illinois.
