The Illinois Power Agency has released the Draft 2026 Long-Term Renewable Resources Procurement Plan for public review and comment:
The draft 2026 Long-Term Plan details the goals and strategies for the IPA’s renewable energy programs and procurements, including program capacity and renewable energy credit pricing for the Illinois Shines and Illinois Solar for All programs over the 2026-27 and 2027-28 Program Years.
The IPA welcomes public comments on the draft 2026 Long-Term Plan. Written comments are due on Monday, September 29, 2025 and should be submitted to [email protected]. The Agency will also hold a virtual public hearing for the draft 2026 Long-Term Plan on Thursday, September 25, 2025.
Changes proposed in the draft 2026 Long-Term Plan that impact Illinois Shines include, but are not limited to:
- Block capacity increase to 1,200 MW for the 2026-27 Program Year and 1,000 MW for the 2027-28 Program Year
- Increase to the Equity Eligible Contractor (EEC) Block Program share to 25% by the 2027-28 Program Year
- Reallocation of capacity from applications contracted in one Program Year but removed during a different Program Year
- Updated uncontracted capacity redistribution prioritization
- Updated Traditional Community Solar Scoring guidelines
- Updated Community-Driven Community Solar Scoring guidelines
- Proposed 2026-27 Program Year REC Prices
- Proposal on collateral flexibility for Small and Emerging Businesses
- Proposal for reduced initial batch size requirement for Small and Emerging Businesses
- Updates to the REC Pricing Model
- Abandoned contracts definition and relief proposal
- Management and control requirements for EEC Approved Vendors
- Advance of Capital process improvements
- Revised Minimum Equity Standard (MES) schedule
- Energy Workforce Equity Portal updates and improvements
- Proposal for handling stranded customers in various situations, including where the original Approved Vendor is unavailable to reassign the REC contract to a new Approved Vendor or where the original REC contract has been terminated, such as due to bankruptcy
- Proposal for adjusting the claim award caps in the Solar Restitution Program
PLEASE NOTE – Chapter 7 of the Long-Term Plan covers the Illinois Shines program, but Chapter 9 – Consumer Protection and Chapter 10 – Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion both have requirements and proposals that impact Illinois Shines participants. In order to understand the full scope of changes to the Illinois Shines program, all three chapters should be reviewed in full.
For more information on how to participate in the virtual hearing, and how to submit written comments, see the draft 2026 Long-Term Plan’s Cover Letter and Hearing Notice. Find the 2026 Long-Term Plan’s Cover Letter and Hearing Notice, and Appendices to the draft Plan on the Agency’s website: https://ipa.illinois.gov/energy-procurement/plans-under-development.html