Bill
HB 2902
The act requires municipal electric utilities, cooperatives, and municipal power agencies to file coordinated, public IRPs every three years to plan low‑carbon, cost‑effective gene
Status / key dates
- Introduced: February 6, 2025 (Rep. Janet Yang Rohr); filed Feb. 18, 2025; added co-sponsor Rep. Barbara Hernandez (Apr. 22, 2025).
- Effective date: provisions labeled “effective immediately” in the bill; first reporting deadline is November 1, 2025.
- Primary agency: Illinois Power Agency (referred to in bill as the “Agency”).
Purpose and intent
- Increase transparency and long‑term planning by municipal electric utilities, municipal power agencies, and electric cooperatives serving Illinois customers.
- Provide member‑ratepayers, municipalities, and state regulators with information on generation portfolios, procurement, resource retirements, demand‑side programs, and plans to transition to low‑carbon and renewable resources.
- Improve coordination with available federal funding (e.g., Inflation Reduction Act programs) and reduce risks of capacity shortfalls or avoidable costs.
Who must comply
- All electric cooperatives with members in Illinois, municipal power agencies, and municipalities that operate electric utilities (including entities with full‑requirements contracts).
- The Illinois Power Agency (IPA) — receives and reviews plans, promulgates rules, and maintains resources and expert lists.
Key provisions
- Integrated Resource Plans (IRPs): Beginning November 1, 2025, and every three years thereafter, affected utilities must file an IRP with the Illinois Power Agency. Utilities may adopt another utility’s IRP in lieu of filing their own when applicable.
- IRP content and purpose: IRPs must analyze generation resources, storage, demand‑side programs, procurement plans, timelines for retirements and new builds, load forecasts, and cost/environmental impacts. The bill emphasizes planning to minimize member/customer costs and environmental impacts.
- Agency responsibilities: The IPA must adopt rules governing IRPs, maintain a roster of qualified experts/consultants to assist utilities in developing IRPs, and make certain materials available.
- Transparency & governance: The bill sets meeting, publishing, and posting requirements for electric cooperatives to improve member access to information about utility operations and planning.
- Open Meetings Act amendment: Expands circumstances under which a public body may hold closed meetings to discuss municipal utility, municipal power agency, or municipal natural gas agency operations when discussions concern specified sensitive topics.
- Municipal power agency / Illinois Municipal Code changes: Permits additional municipalities operating electric systems to join municipal power agencies (consistent with agency bylaws and after satisfying termination obligations) and establishes requirements for municipal power agencies.
- Public Utilities Act amendments: Clarifies definitions in net metering provisions (e.g., “electricity provider” and “electric utility”) and other utility regulatory language.
- Eminent Domain Act amendment: For condemnations by entities subject to this Act, the usual rebuttable presumption that acquisition is for a public purpose applies only if the condemning authority’s most recent IRP identified the specific facility or a demonstrated need for a similar type and capacity of facility.
Potential impacts
- Utilities: Increased planning, reporting duties, and potential costs to prepare IRPs (offset by IPA expert list and federal grant access). Governance changes may affect municipal membership in power agencies.
- Ratepayers/customers: Greater access to information about resource mix, procurement, and long‑term planning; potential for reduced risks of capacity shortfalls and better alignment with federal funding opportunities.
- Property acquisitions: Stronger evidentiary requirement for eminent‑domain takings by these utilities; projects not reflected in recent IRPs may face greater legal challenge.
- State oversight: IPA gains expanded rulemaking and oversight roles focused on planning and transparency.
Limitations / open items
- The bill text references a number of implementation details to be set by IPA rulemaking (scope/format of IRPs, deadlines for submittal, consultant list criteria).
- Practical effects on rate-setting and federal grant use will depend on how utilities and the IPA implement IRPs and coordinate with federal programs.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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