On September 1, 2026 the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approved the results of the Illinois Power Agency's (IPA) Summer 2026 Energy Storage Procurement for utility-scale energy storage projects. Following ICC approval, contracts were awarded to support the development of 600 megawatts (MW) of new energy storage projects all located in Illinois.

The Agency's procurement administrator, NERA Economic Consulting, issued the Summer 2026 Energy Storage RFP on behalf of the IPA with a goal to procure 1,038 MW of new storage resources - split by 450 MW from projects in the MISO territory and 588 MW from projects in the PJM territory, as required under Illinois law. The quantity of megawatts procured fell short of the 1,038 MW target set for this initial procurement event by a total of 438 MW. A total of 520 MW of storage resources were procured from the MISO territory and 80 MW of storage resources were procured from the PJM territory.

What's Next?

The results of the Summer 2026 Energy Storage Procurement event mark a consequential moment in Illinois's forward progress on enhancing energy reliability and affordability. The Summer 2026 Energy Storage Procurement is the first of several storage procurements outlined in CRGA. Specifically, CRGA calls for additional procurements to occur in 2027 and 2028 to meet an initial target of 3,000 megawatts of energy storage resources committed to reaching commercial operation by December 31, 2030.

In order to gain insight from this initial procurement event and prepare for the additional procurements outlined in CRGA, the Agency plans to release a written stakeholder feedback request in Fall 2026. The IPA encourages stakeholders to participate and looks forward to identifying any barriers to successful procurement events through that feedback process. Additional procurement events are planned for 2027 and potentially 2028 to meet the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act's 3,000 MW energy storage procurement goal.

As required under Illinois law, the IPA will also be developing an Energy Storage Resources Procurement Plan published for public comment no later than June 1, 2027. Additional procurements may be proposed through that Plan. That Plan's content will be informed by a parallel Integrated Resource Plan development and approval process, with the first Integrated Resource Plan currently under development and due to be filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission by November 15, 2026.

For updates on the Agency's continued work on energy storage, follow along here: https://ipa.illinois.gov/renewable-resources/energy-storage.html

Full Results

Please refer to the Procurement Administrator's Procurement Results page and the ICC's Public Notice for full procurement results.