SB2736 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 16111 JDS 29425 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
SB2736

Introduced 10/28/2025, by Sen. Li Arellano, Jr.

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

415 ILCS 5/9.15a new

Amends the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, notwithstanding any provision of the Act, any rule adopted under the Act, or any term or condition in any permit issued under the Act, each natural gas-fired peaker power plant in the State may, to the extent allowed by federal law, be operated on up to a continuous basis beginning on the effective date of the amendatory Act and until 30 days after the date upon which the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency first posts on its website a notice that it has determined, based on data supplied to it annually by the Illinois Power Agency, that at least 21,000 MWe of new utility-scale renewable power generation capacity has been brought online in the State. Directs the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt any rules and to amend any existing permits as necessary to implement the provisions added by the amendatory Act. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning safety.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Environmental Protection Act is amended by adding Section 9.15a as follows:

(415 ILCS 5/9.15a new)

Sec. 9.15a. Ensured electrical reliability through natural gas-fired peaker power plants.

(a) As used in this Section:

"Natural gas-fired peaker power plant" means a natural gas-fired combustion turbine that serves a generator with a nameplate capacity greater than 25 MWe, that produces electricity for sale, and that was operated before the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly primarily to meet peak electrical demand.

"New utility-scale renewable power generation capacity" means the total potential electrical output of the utility-scale renewable energy resource projects brought online in the State for the first time on or after January 1, 2024.

"Utility-scale renewable energy resource project" includes, without limitation, a utility-scale wind project, a utility-scale solar project, and a brownfield site photovoltaic project.

(b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, any rule adopted under this Act, or any term or condition in any permit issued under this Act, each natural gas-fired peaker power plant may, to the extent allowed under federal law, be operated on up to a continuous basis beginning on the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 104th General Assembly and until 30 days after the date upon which the Agency first posts on its website pursuant to this Section notice that it has determined, based on data supplied to it at least annually by the Illinois Power Agency, that at least 21,000 MWe of new utility-scale renewable power generation capacity has been brought online in the State.

(c) The Environmental Protection Agency shall adopt rules and shall amend existing permits as necessary to implement this Section.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.