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IPA Publishes Energy Storage Procurement Schedule
The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) published a schedule for its upcoming Energy Storage procurement, which includes dates for upcoming stakeholder engagement opportunities this spring.
The Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA), signed into law by Governor Pritzker on January 8, 2026, directs the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) to conduct competitive procurements to support the development of new utility-scale energy storage projects across the state. CRGA establishes an initial target of 3,000 megawatts of cumulative nameplate capacity committed to reaching commercial operation by December 31, 2030.
By bringing more energy storage projects online, Illinois moves closer to a reliable and affordable energy future.
Upcoming Procurements
The IPA will conduct an initial energy storage procurement event on or before August 26, 2026 for 1,038 megawatts (MW) of standalone storage. This initial procurement amount will be divided between projects interconnected to MISO and PJM accordingly:
- 450 MW in MISO Zone 4
- 588 MW in PJM ComEd Area
Additional energy storage procurements will take place in 2027 and potentially in 2028 as necessary. Please note, requirements for future procurements and the split between projects in MISO and PJM may differ from the initial 2026 procurement.
Procurement Process
For an energy storage project to participate in the IPA’s initial procurement event in 2026, it must:
- Achieve commercial operation no later than December 31, 2029*.
- Be a standalone storage resource.
- Have the ability to operate for a duration of 4 hours.
- Be interconnected to MISO Zone 4 or PJM ComEd Area.
- Meet various equity and labor requirements, including: compliance with the Minimum Equity Standard and the Prevailing Wage Act, execution of a Project Labor Agreement and a Labor Peace Agreement, and other related reporting requirements.
*This date could be extended to December 31, 2030 per Agency approval.
Under the initial procurement event, developers will submit bids to sell ISCs from their proposed projects under a 20-year contract. These contracts will use an Indexed Storage Credit (ISC) pricing structure established per the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA) to calculate the price of the ISCs. Eligible bids are evaluated by the IPA’s Procurement Administrator (NERA Economic Consulting), and procurement results are approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
After the effective date of CRGA (June 1, 2026), the Agency anticipates energy storage procurement event information to be primarily added to the Procurement Administrator’s website for such procurements.
The Agency recommends developers and other interested stakeholders stay up to date on details related to future procurements by registering for updates with the IPA’s Procurement Administrator using their information form and selecting “Energy Storage”.
Please visit the Energy Storage page on the IPA website for more information.
