Meeting Illinois’ Energy Needs

More state regulations, wishfully betting on batteries, and good intentions are not going to lower power bills. It's supply and demand, and green technology can't get the job done on its own.

The graph above is from the Illinois Power Agency 2025 Resource Adequacy Study. It shows the energy sources breakdown for the PJM region for 2026/2027, which sources the power used in the ComEd Zone of northern Illinois. As you can see, 88% of the energy we rely on comes from natural gas, coal, and nuclear sources.

Despite this reality, Democrats keep enacting laws to limit the production of energy sources we need to keep electricity reliable and affordable. According to the IPA report, "PJM is expected to experience a capacity shortfall beginning in 2029, with the deficit projected to widen in subsequent years if left unabated." It projects we could face an energy capacity shortfall of 28% by 2035 without action, in addition to skyrocketing rates for consumers.

Illinois used to be a net-exporter of energy, but now, not only are we a net-importer of energy, we are having to import energy generated by coal and gas from other states to meet the needs in our state, instead of using our own sources and pursuing an all-of-the-above approach to ensure we have the energy needed.

The brutal cold and winter storms we've seen across Illinois this week serve as an important reminder that energy reliability is crucial for our state. Illinoisans need affordable energy they can count on.

The full 2025 Resource Adequacy Study can be downloaded below.