en.Wedoany.com Reported - ComEd has completed construction of two 345-kilovolt transmission substations, enabling the connection of a total of 550 megawatts of wind power capacity in LaSalle and Woodford counties.
With rising electricity demand across the U.S. and Illinois, increasing PJM capacity costs are putting pressure on customers. PJM provides power transmission services to 65 million people across 13 states, including the ComEd service area, and the District of Columbia. ComEd has launched grid investments to increase capacity and pave the way for more renewable energy generation, including two new wind farms to be built in LaSalle and Woodford counties over the next two years. The new substations have cleared the way for the two wind farms—Osagrove Flats (150 MW) and Panther Grove (400 MW)—to begin commercial operations by the end of 2026 and early 2027, respectively.
The new substations can support up to 550 MW of new wind power capacity, expected to be operational between 2026 and 2027, an amount equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 264,000 households. Gil Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd, stated that ComEd is committed to providing the reliable, modern grid Illinois needs to foster renewable energy growth, advance the state's economic development goals, and deliver more affordable electricity to customers. These two new substations are part of ComEd's efforts to expand transmission capacity, bring more clean energy resources online, and ensure the region has the infrastructure needed to meet growing energy demand.
The new infrastructure strengthens ComEd's transmission network and, by delivering low-cost renewable energy from utility-scale wind power to the PJM market, helps increase supply and improve reliability. The project, launched in 2023, was completed more than four months ahead of schedule, utilizing over 113,000 labor hours from ComEd's workforce, including the installation of 16 new transmission towers, more than 58 miles of fiber optic cable, and nearly half a mile of new conductor.
To meet electricity demand forecasts, ComEd is facilitating the connection of more renewable energy to the system, with over 1.7 gigawatts of distributed energy resources already interconnected, making Illinois a leading state in the Midwest for distributed energy capacity. In addition to building new infrastructure, ComEd is employing a multi-pronged approach to leverage the existing grid for more efficient renewable energy connections, including deploying a Distributed Energy Resource Management System—a technology platform combining software control systems and hardware—that accelerates the deployment of renewable energy projects such as wind and solar by dynamically managing grid conditions and unlocking additional hosting capacity.
