2018 Illinois Compiled Statutes
Chapter 20 - EXECUTIVE BRANCH
20 ILCS 3855/ - Illinois Power Agency Act.
Article 1 - The Illinois Power Agency Act

(20 ILCS 3855/Art. 1 heading)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-1)
Sec. 1-1. Short title. This Article may be cited as the Illinois Power Agency Act. References in this Article to "this Act" mean this Article.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-5)
Sec. 1-5. Legislative declarations and findings. The General Assembly finds and declares:
(1) The health, welfare, and prosperity of all

Illinois citizens require the provision of adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability.

(2) (Blank).
(3) (Blank).
(4) It is necessary to improve the process of

procuring electricity to serve Illinois residents, to promote investment in energy efficiency and demand-response measures, and to maintain and support development of clean coal technologies, generation resources that operate at all hours of the day and under all weather conditions, zero emission facilities, and renewable resources.

(5) Procuring a diverse electricity supply portfolio

will ensure the lowest total cost over time for adequate, reliable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service.

(6) Including renewable resources and zero emission

credits from zero emission facilities in that portfolio will reduce long-term direct and indirect costs to consumers by decreasing environmental impacts and by avoiding or delaying the need for new generation, transmission, and distribution infrastructure. Developing new renewable energy resources in Illinois, including brownfield solar projects and community solar projects, will help to diversify Illinois electricity supply, avoid and reduce pollution, reduce peak demand, and enhance public health and well-being of Illinois residents.

(7) Developing community solar projects in Illinois

will help to expand access to renewable energy resources to more Illinois residents.

(8) Developing brownfield solar projects in Illinois

will help return blighted or contaminated land to productive use while enhancing public health and the well-being of Illinois residents.

(9) Energy efficiency, demand-response measures, zero

emission energy, and renewable energy are resources currently underused in Illinois. These resources should be used, when cost effective, to reduce costs to consumers, improve reliability, and improve environmental quality and public health.

(10) The State should encourage the use of advanced

clean coal technologies that capture and sequester carbon dioxide emissions to advance environmental protection goals and to demonstrate the viability of coal and coal-derived fuels in a carbon-constrained economy.

(11) The General Assembly enacted Public Act 96-0795

to reform the State's purchasing processes, recognizing that government procurement is susceptible to abuse if structural and procedural safeguards are not in place to ensure independence, insulation, oversight, and transparency.

(12) The principles that underlie the procurement

reform legislation apply also in the context of power purchasing.

The General Assembly therefore finds that it is necessary to create the Illinois Power Agency and that the goals and objectives of that Agency are to accomplish each of the following:
(A) Develop electricity procurement plans to ensure

adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability, for electric utilities that on December 31, 2005 provided electric service to at least 100,000 customers in Illinois and for small multi-jurisdictional electric utilities that (i) on December 31, 2005 served less than 100,000 customers in Illinois and (ii) request a procurement plan for their Illinois jurisdictional load. The procurement plan shall be updated on an annual basis and shall include renewable energy resources and, beginning with the delivery year commencing June 1, 2017, zero emission credits from zero emission facilities sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act.

(B) Conduct the competitive procurement processes

identified in this Act.

(C) Develop electric generation and co-generation

facilities that use indigenous coal or renewable resources, or both, financed with bonds issued by the Illinois Finance Authority.

(D) Supply electricity from the Agency's facilities

at cost to one or more of the following: municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives in Illinois.

(E) Ensure that the process of power procurement is

conducted in an ethical and transparent fashion, immune from improper influence.

(F) Continue to review its policies and practices to

determine how best to meet its mission of providing the lowest cost power to the greatest number of people, at any given point in time, in accordance with applicable law.

(G) Operate in a structurally insulated, independent,

and transparent fashion so that nothing impedes the Agency's mission to secure power at the best prices the market will bear, provided that the Agency meets all applicable legal requirements.

(H) Implement renewable energy procurement and

training programs throughout the State to diversify Illinois electricity supply, improve reliability, avoid and reduce pollution, reduce peak demand, and enhance public health and well-being of Illinois residents, including low-income residents.

(Source: P.A. 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-10)
Sec. 1-10. Definitions.
"Agency" means the Illinois Power Agency.
"Agency loan agreement" means any agreement pursuant to which the Illinois Finance Authority agrees to loan the proceeds of revenue bonds issued with respect to a project to the Agency upon terms providing for loan repayment installments at least sufficient to pay when due all principal of, interest and premium, if any, on those revenue bonds, and providing for maintenance, insurance, and other matters in respect of the project.
"Authority" means the Illinois Finance Authority.
"Brownfield site photovoltaic project" means photovoltaics that are:
(1) interconnected to an electric utility as defined

in this Section, a municipal utility as defined in this Section, a public utility as defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act, or an electric cooperative, as defined in Section 3-119 of the Public Utilities Act; and

(2) located at a site that is regulated by any of the

following entities under the following programs:

(A) the United States Environmental Protection

Agency under the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended;

(B) the United States Environmental Protection

Agency under the Corrective Action Program of the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, as amended;

(C) the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

under the Illinois Site Remediation Program; or

(D) the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency

under the Illinois Solid Waste Program.

"Clean coal facility" means an electric generating facility that uses primarily coal as a feedstock and that captures and sequesters carbon dioxide emissions at the following levels: at least 50% of the total carbon dioxide emissions that the facility would otherwise emit if, at the time construction commences, the facility is scheduled to commence operation before 2016, at least 70% of the total carbon dioxide emissions that the facility would otherwise emit if, at the time construction commences, the facility is scheduled to commence operation during 2016 or 2017, and at least 90% of the total carbon dioxide emissions that the facility would otherwise emit if, at the time construction commences, the facility is scheduled to commence operation after 2017. The power block of the clean coal facility shall not exceed allowable emission rates for sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, particulates and mercury for a natural gas-fired combined-cycle facility the same size as and in the same location as the clean coal facility at the time the clean coal facility obtains an approved air permit. All coal used by a clean coal facility shall have high volatile bituminous rank and greater than 1.7 pounds of sulfur per million btu content, unless the clean coal facility does not use gasification technology and was operating as a conventional coal-fired electric generating facility on June 1, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 95-1027).
"Clean coal SNG brownfield facility" means a facility that (1) has commenced construction by July 1, 2015 on an urban brownfield site in a municipality with at least 1,000,000 residents; (2) uses a gasification process to produce substitute natural gas; (3) uses coal as at least 50% of the total feedstock over the term of any sourcing agreement with a utility and the remainder of the feedstock may be either petroleum coke or coal, with all such coal having a high bituminous rank and greater than 1.7 pounds of sulfur per million Btu content unless the facility reasonably determines that it is necessary to use additional petroleum coke to deliver additional consumer savings, in which case the facility shall use coal for at least 35% of the total feedstock over the term of any sourcing agreement; and (4) captures and sequesters at least 85% of the total carbon dioxide emissions that the facility would otherwise emit.
"Clean coal SNG facility" means a facility that uses a gasification process to produce substitute natural gas, that sequesters at least 90% of the total carbon dioxide emissions that the facility would otherwise emit, that uses at least 90% coal as a feedstock, with all such coal having a high bituminous rank and greater than 1.7 pounds of sulfur per million btu content, and that has a valid and effective permit to construct emission sources and air pollution control equipment and approval with respect to the federal regulations for Prevention of Significant Deterioration of Air Quality (PSD) for the plant pursuant to the federal Clean Air Act; provided, however, a clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall not be a clean coal SNG facility.
"Commission" means the Illinois Commerce Commission.
"Community renewable generation project" means an electric generating facility that:
(1) is powered by wind, solar thermal energy,

photovoltaic cells or panels, biodiesel, crops and untreated and unadulterated organic waste biomass, tree waste, and hydropower that does not involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams;

(2) is interconnected at the distribution system

level of an electric utility as defined in this Section, a municipal utility as defined in this Section that owns or operates electric distribution facilities, a public utility as defined in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act, or an electric cooperative, as defined in Section 3-119 of the Public Utilities Act;

(3) credits the value of electricity generated by

the facility to the subscribers of the facility; and

(4) is limited in nameplate capacity to less than

or equal to 2,000 kilowatts.

"Costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility" means:
(1) the cost of acquisition of all real property,

fixtures, and improvements in connection therewith and equipment, personal property, and other property, rights, and easements acquired that are deemed necessary for the operation and maintenance of the facility;

(2) financing costs with respect to bonds, notes,

and other evidences of indebtedness of the Agency;

(3) all origination, commitment, utilization,

facility, placement, underwriting, syndication, credit enhancement, and rating agency fees;

(4) engineering, design, procurement, consulting,

legal, accounting, title insurance, survey, appraisal, escrow, trustee, collateral agency, interest rate hedging, interest rate swap, capitalized interest, contingency, as required by lenders, and other financing costs, and other expenses for professional services; and

(5) the costs of plans, specifications, site study

and investigation, installation, surveys, other Agency costs and estimates of costs, and other expenses necessary or incidental to determining the feasibility of any project, together with such other expenses as may be necessary or incidental to the financing, insuring, acquisition, and construction of a specific project and starting up, commissioning, and placing that project in operation.

"Delivery services" has the same definition as found in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Delivery year" means the consecutive 12-month period beginning June 1 of a given year and ending May 31 of the following year.
"Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
"Director" means the Director of the Illinois Power Agency.
"Demand-response" means measures that decrease peak electricity demand or shift demand from peak to off-peak periods.
"Distributed renewable energy generation device" means a device that is:
(1) powered by wind, solar thermal energy,

photovoltaic cells or panels, biodiesel, crops and untreated and unadulterated organic waste biomass, tree waste, and hydropower that does not involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams;

(2) interconnected at the distribution system level

of either an electric utility as defined in this Section, a municipal utility as defined in this Section that owns or operates electric distribution facilities, or a rural electric cooperative as defined in Section 3-119 of the Public Utilities Act;

(3) located on the customer side of the customer's

electric meter and is primarily used to offset that customer's electricity load; and

(4) limited in nameplate capacity to less than or

equal to 2,000 kilowatts.

"Energy efficiency" means measures that reduce the amount of electricity or natural gas consumed in order to achieve a given end use. "Energy efficiency" includes voltage optimization measures that optimize the voltage at points on the electric distribution voltage system and thereby reduce electricity consumption by electric customers' end use devices. "Energy efficiency" also includes measures that reduce the total Btus of electricity, natural gas, and other fuels needed to meet the end use or uses.
"Electric utility" has the same definition as found in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Facility" means an electric generating unit or a co-generating unit that produces electricity along with related equipment necessary to connect the facility to an electric transmission or distribution system.
"Governmental aggregator" means one or more units of local government that individually or collectively procure electricity to serve residential retail electrical loads located within its or their jurisdiction.
"Local government" means a unit of local government as defined in Section 1 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.
"Municipality" means a city, village, or incorporated town.
"Municipal utility" means a public utility owned and operated by any subdivision or municipal corporation of this State.
"Nameplate capacity" means the aggregate inverter nameplate capacity in kilowatts AC.
"Person" means any natural person, firm, partnership, corporation, either domestic or foreign, company, association, limited liability company, joint stock company, or association and includes any trustee, receiver, assignee, or personal representative thereof.
"Project" means the planning, bidding, and construction of a facility.
"Public utility" has the same definition as found in Section 3-105 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Real property" means any interest in land together with all structures, fixtures, and improvements thereon, including lands under water and riparian rights, any easements, covenants, licenses, leases, rights-of-way, uses, and other interests, together with any liens, judgments, mortgages, or other claims or security interests related to real property.
"Renewable energy credit" means a tradable credit that represents the environmental attributes of one megawatt hour of energy produced from a renewable energy resource.
"Renewable energy resources" includes energy and its associated renewable energy credit or renewable energy credits from wind, solar thermal energy, photovoltaic cells and panels, biodiesel, anaerobic digestion, crops and untreated and unadulterated organic waste biomass, tree waste, and hydropower that does not involve new construction or significant expansion of hydropower dams. For purposes of this Act, landfill gas produced in the State is considered a renewable energy resource. "Renewable energy resources" does not include the incineration or burning of tires, garbage, general household, institutional, and commercial waste, industrial lunchroom or office waste, landscape waste other than tree waste, railroad crossties, utility poles, or construction or demolition debris, other than untreated and unadulterated waste wood.
"Retail customer" has the same definition as found in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Revenue bond" means any bond, note, or other evidence of indebtedness issued by the Authority, the principal and interest of which is payable solely from revenues or income derived from any project or activity of the Agency.
"Sequester" means permanent storage of carbon dioxide by injecting it into a saline aquifer, a depleted gas reservoir, or an oil reservoir, directly or through an enhanced oil recovery process that may involve intermediate storage, regardless of whether these activities are conducted by a clean coal facility, a clean coal SNG facility, a clean coal SNG brownfield facility, or a party with which a clean coal facility, clean coal SNG facility, or clean coal SNG brownfield facility has contracted for such purposes.
"Service area" has the same definition as found in Section 16-102 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Sourcing agreement" means (i) in the case of an electric utility, an agreement between the owner of a clean coal facility and such electric utility, which agreement shall have terms and conditions meeting the requirements of paragraph (3) of subsection (d) of Section 1-75, (ii) in the case of an alternative retail electric supplier, an agreement between the owner of a clean coal facility and such alternative retail electric supplier, which agreement shall have terms and conditions meeting the requirements of Section 16-115(d)(5) of the Public Utilities Act, and (iii) in case of a gas utility, an agreement between the owner of a clean coal SNG brownfield facility and the gas utility, which agreement shall have the terms and conditions meeting the requirements of subsection (h-1) of Section 9-220 of the Public Utilities Act.
"Subscriber" means a person who (i) takes delivery service from an electric utility, and (ii) has a subscription of no less than 200 watts to a community renewable generation project that is located in the electric utility's service area. No subscriber's subscriptions may total more than 40% of the nameplate capacity of an individual community renewable generation project. Entities that are affiliated by virtue of a common parent shall not represent multiple subscriptions that total more than 40% of the nameplate capacity of an individual community renewable generation project.
"Subscription" means an interest in a community renewable generation project expressed in kilowatts, which is sized primarily to offset part or all of the subscriber's electricity usage.
"Substitute natural gas" or "SNG" means a gas manufactured by gasification of hydrocarbon feedstock, which is substantially interchangeable in use and distribution with conventional natural gas.
"Total resource cost test" or "TRC test" means a standard that is met if, for an investment in energy efficiency or demand-response measures, the benefit-cost ratio is greater than one. The benefit-cost ratio is the ratio of the net present value of the total benefits of the program to the net present value of the total costs as calculated over the lifetime of the measures. A total resource cost test compares the sum of avoided electric utility costs, representing the benefits that accrue to the system and the participant in the delivery of those efficiency measures and including avoided costs associated with reduced use of natural gas or other fuels, avoided costs associated with reduced water consumption, and avoided costs associated with reduced operation and maintenance costs, as well as other quantifiable societal benefits, to the sum of all incremental costs of end-use measures that are implemented due to the program (including both utility and participant contributions), plus costs to administer, deliver, and evaluate each demand-side program, to quantify the net savings obtained by substituting the demand-side program for supply resources. In calculating avoided costs of power and energy that an electric utility would otherwise have had to acquire, reasonable estimates shall be included of financial costs likely to be imposed by future regulations and legislation on emissions of greenhouse gases. In discounting future societal costs and benefits for the purpose of calculating net present values, a societal discount rate based on actual, long-term Treasury bond yields should be used. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the TRC test shall not include or take into account a calculation of market price suppression effects or demand reduction induced price effects.
"Utility-scale solar project" means an electric generating facility that:
(1) generates electricity using photovoltaic cells;

and

(2) has a nameplate capacity that is greater than

2,000 kilowatts.

"Utility-scale wind project" means an electric generating facility that:
(1) generates electricity using wind; and
(2) has a nameplate capacity that is greater than

2,000 kilowatts.

"Zero emission credit" means a tradable credit that represents the environmental attributes of one megawatt hour of energy produced from a zero emission facility.
"Zero emission facility" means a facility that: (1) is fueled by nuclear power; and (2) is interconnected with PJM Interconnection, LLC or the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., or their successors.
(Source: P.A. 98-90, eff. 7-15-13; 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-15)
Sec. 1-15. Illinois Power Agency.
(a) For the purpose of effectuating the policy declared in Section 1-5 of this Act, a State agency known as the Illinois Power Agency is created. The Agency shall exercise governmental and public powers, be perpetual in duration, and have the powers and duties enumerated in this Act, together with such others conferred upon it by law.
(b) The Agency is not created or organized, and its operations shall not be conducted, for the purpose of making a profit. No part of the revenues or assets of the Agency shall inure to the benefit of or be distributable to any of its employees or any other private persons, except as provided in this Act for actual services rendered. The Agency shall operate as an independent agency subject to the oversight of the Executive Ethics Commission.
(Source: P.A. 97-618, eff. 10-26-11.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-20)
Sec. 1-20. General powers of the Agency.
(a) The Agency is authorized to do each of the following:
(1) Develop electricity procurement plans to ensure

adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability, for electric utilities that on December 31, 2005 provided electric service to at least 100,000 customers in Illinois and for small multi-jurisdictional electric utilities that (A) on December 31, 2005 served less than 100,000 customers in Illinois and (B) request a procurement plan for their Illinois jurisdictional load. Except as provided in paragraph (1.5) of this subsection (a), the electricity procurement plans shall be updated on an annual basis and shall include electricity generated from renewable resources sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act. Beginning with the delivery year commencing June 1, 2017, develop procurement plans to include zero emission credits generated from zero emission facilities sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act.

(1.5) Develop a long-term renewable resources

procurement plan in accordance with subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act for renewable energy credits in amounts sufficient to achieve the standards specified in this Act for delivery years commencing June 1, 2017 and for the programs and renewable energy credits specified in Section 1-56 of this Act. Electricity procurement plans for delivery years commencing after May 31, 2017, shall not include procurement of renewable energy resources.

(2) Conduct competitive procurement processes to

procure the supply resources identified in the electricity procurement plan, pursuant to Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, and, for the delivery year commencing June 1, 2017, conduct procurement processes to procure zero emission credits from zero emission facilities, under subsection (d-5) of Section 1-75 of this Act.

(2.5) Beginning with the procurement for the 2017

delivery year, conduct competitive procurement processes and implement programs to procure renewable energy credits identified in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan developed and approved under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.

(3) Develop electric generation and co-generation

facilities that use indigenous coal or renewable resources, or both, financed with bonds issued by the Illinois Finance Authority.

(4) Supply electricity from the Agency's facilities

at cost to one or more of the following: municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives in Illinois.

(b) Except as otherwise limited by this Act, the Agency has all of the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes and provisions of this Act, including without limitation, each of the following:
(1) To have a corporate seal, and to alter that seal

at pleasure, and to use it by causing it or a facsimile to be affixed or impressed or reproduced in any other manner.

(2) To use the services of the Illinois Finance

Authority necessary to carry out the Agency's purposes.

(3) To negotiate and enter into loan agreements and

other agreements with the Illinois Finance Authority.

(4) To obtain and employ personnel and hire

consultants that are necessary to fulfill the Agency's purposes, and to make expenditures for that purpose within the appropriations for that purpose.

(5) To purchase, receive, take by grant, gift,

devise, bequest, or otherwise, lease, or otherwise acquire, own, hold, improve, employ, use, and otherwise deal in and with, real or personal property whether tangible or intangible, or any interest therein, within the State.

(6) To acquire real or personal property, whether

tangible or intangible, including without limitation property rights, interests in property, franchises, obligations, contracts, and debt and equity securities, and to do so by the exercise of the power of eminent domain in accordance with Section 1-21; except that any real property acquired by the exercise of the power of eminent domain must be located within the State.

(7) To sell, convey, lease, exchange, transfer,

abandon, or otherwise dispose of, or mortgage, pledge, or create a security interest in, any of its assets, properties, or any interest therein, wherever situated.

(8) To purchase, take, receive, subscribe for, or

otherwise acquire, hold, make a tender offer for, vote, employ, sell, lend, lease, exchange, transfer, or otherwise dispose of, mortgage, pledge, or grant a security interest in, use, and otherwise deal in and with, bonds and other obligations, shares, or other securities (or interests therein) issued by others, whether engaged in a similar or different business or activity.

(9) To make and execute agreements, contracts, and

other instruments necessary or convenient in the exercise of the powers and functions of the Agency under this Act, including contracts with any person, including personal service contracts, or with any local government, State agency, or other entity; and all State agencies and all local governments are authorized to enter into and do all things necessary to perform any such agreement, contract, or other instrument with the Agency. No such agreement, contract, or other instrument shall exceed 40 years.

(10) To lend money, invest and reinvest its funds in

accordance with the Public Funds Investment Act, and take and hold real and personal property as security for the payment of funds loaned or invested.

(11) To borrow money at such rate or rates of

interest as the Agency may determine, issue its notes, bonds, or other obligations to evidence that indebtedness, and secure any of its obligations by mortgage or pledge of its real or personal property, machinery, equipment, structures, fixtures, inventories, revenues, grants, and other funds as provided or any interest therein, wherever situated.

(12) To enter into agreements with the Illinois

Finance Authority to issue bonds whether or not the income therefrom is exempt from federal taxation.

(13) To procure insurance against any loss in

connection with its properties or operations in such amount or amounts and from such insurers, including the federal government, as it may deem necessary or desirable, and to pay any premiums therefor.

(14) To negotiate and enter into agreements with

trustees or receivers appointed by United States bankruptcy courts or federal district courts or in other proceedings involving adjustment of debts and authorize proceedings involving adjustment of debts and authorize legal counsel for the Agency to appear in any such proceedings.

(15) To file a petition under Chapter 9 of Title 11

of the United States Bankruptcy Code or take other similar action for the adjustment of its debts.

(16) To enter into management agreements for the

operation of any of the property or facilities owned by the Agency.

(17) To enter into an agreement to transfer and to

transfer any land, facilities, fixtures, or equipment of the Agency to one or more municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric agencies or cooperatives, for such consideration and upon such terms as the Agency may determine to be in the best interest of the citizens of Illinois.

(18) To enter upon any lands and within any building

whenever in its judgment it may be necessary for the purpose of making surveys and examinations to accomplish any purpose authorized by this Act.

(19) To maintain an office or offices at such place

or places in the State as it may determine.

(20) To request information, and to make any inquiry,

investigation, survey, or study that the Agency may deem necessary to enable it effectively to carry out the provisions of this Act.

(21) To accept and expend appropriations.
(22) To engage in any activity or operation that is

incidental to and in furtherance of efficient operation to accomplish the Agency's purposes, including hiring employees that the Director deems essential for the operations of the Agency.

(23) To adopt, revise, amend, and repeal rules with

respect to its operations, properties, and facilities as may be necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of this Act, subject to the provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act and Sections 1-22 and 1-35 of this Act.

(24) To establish and collect charges and fees as

described in this Act.

(25) To conduct competitive gasification feedstock

procurement processes to procure the feedstocks for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility in accordance with the requirements of Section 1-78 of this Act.

(26) To review, revise, and approve sourcing

agreements and mediate and resolve disputes between gas utilities and the clean coal SNG brownfield facility pursuant to subsection (h-1) of Section 9-220 of the Public Utilities Act.

(27) To request, review and accept proposals,

execute contracts, purchase renewable energy credits and otherwise dedicate funds from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund to create and carry out the objectives of the Illinois Solar for All program in accordance with Section 1-56 of this Act.

(Source: P.A. 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-21)
Sec. 1-21. Eminent domain. The Agency may take and acquire possession by eminent domain of any property or interest in property that the Agency is authorized to acquire under this Act for the construction, maintenance, or operation of a facility with the consent in writing of the Governor, after following the provisions of Section 1-85(a) of this Act, to acquire by private purchase, or by condemnation in the manner provided for the exercise of the power of eminent domain under the Eminent Domain Act. The power of condemnation shall be exercised, however, solely for the purposes of one or more of the following: siting, rights of way, and easements appurtenant. The Agency shall not exercise its powers of condemnation until it has used reasonable good faith efforts to acquire the property before filing a petition for condemnation and may thereafter use those powers when it determines that the condemnation of the property rights is necessary to avoid unreasonable delay or economic hardship to the progress of activities carried out in the exercise of powers granted under this Act. Before use of the power of condemnation for projects, the Agency shall hold a public hearing to receive comments on the exercise of the power of condemnation. The Agency shall use the information received at the hearing in making its final decision on the exercise of the power of condemnation. The hearing shall be held in a location reasonably accessible to the public interested in the decision. The Agency shall promulgate guidelines for the conduct of the hearing. The Agency shall conduct a feasibility study showing that the taking is necessary to accomplish the purposes of this Act and that is adequate to meet the environmental standards set forth by the State and the federal governments. The Agency may not exercise the authority provided in Article 20 of the Eminent Domain Act (quick-take procedure) providing for immediate possession in those proceedings. The Agency does not have the power to exercise eminent domain over the property of any public utility or any person owning an electric generating plant.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-22)
Sec. 1-22. Authority of the Illinois Commerce Commission. Nothing in this Act infringes upon the authority granted to the Commission.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-25)
Sec. 1-25. Agency subject to other laws. Unless otherwise stated, the Agency is subject to the provisions of all applicable laws, including but not limited to, each of the following:
(1) The State Records Act.
(2) The Illinois Procurement Code, except that the

Illinois Procurement Code does not apply to the hiring or payment of procurement administrators, procurement planning consultants, third-party program managers, or other persons who will implement the programs described in Sections 1-56 and 1-75 of the Illinois Power Agency Act.

(3) The Freedom of Information Act.
(4) The State Property Control Act.
(5) (Blank).
(6) The State Officials and Employees Ethics Act.
(Source: P.A. 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-30.1)
Sec. 1-30.1. Administrative Procedure Act applies. The provisions of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act are expressly adopted and incorporated into this Act, and apply to all administrative rules and procedures of the Agency.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-30.2)
Sec. 1-30.2. Administrative Review Law applies. Any final administrative decision of the Agency, or of the Director of the Agency, that is not subject to review by the Commission, is subject to review under the provisions of the Administrative Review Law.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-30.3)
Sec. 1-30.3. Illinois State Auditing Act applies. For purposes of the Illinois State Auditing Act, the Agency is a "State agency" within the meaning of the Act and is subject to the jurisdiction of the Auditor General.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-35)
Sec. 1-35. Agency rules. The Agency shall adopt rules as may be necessary and appropriate for the operation of the Agency. In addition to other rules relevant to the operation of the Agency, the Agency shall adopt rules that accomplish each of the following:
(1) Establish procedures for monitoring the

administration of any contract administered directly or indirectly by the Agency; except that the procedures shall not extend to executed contracts between electric utilities and their suppliers.

(2) Establish procedures for the recovery of costs

incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility should the Agency cancel a project, provided that no such costs shall be passed on to public utilities or their customers or paid from the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund.

(3) Implement accounting rules and a system of

accounts, in accordance with State law, permitting all reporting (i) required by the State, (ii) required under this Act, (iii) required by the Authority, or (iv) required under the Public Utilities Act.

The Agency shall not adopt any rules that infringe upon the authority granted to the Commission.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-40)
Sec. 1-40. Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund.
(a) The Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
(b) The Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund shall be administered by the Agency for the Agency's operations as specified in this Section.
(c) All moneys used by the Agency from the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly.
(d) All disbursements from the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund shall be made only upon warrants of the State Comptroller drawn upon the State Treasurer as custodian of the Fund upon vouchers signed by the Director or by the person or persons designated by the Director for that purpose. The Comptroller is authorized to draw the warrant upon vouchers so signed. The State Treasurer shall accept all warrants so signed and shall be released from liability for all payments made on those warrants.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-45)
Sec. 1-45. Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund.
(a) The Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
(b) The Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund shall be administered by the Agency for costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility by the Agency as well as costs incurred in connection with the operation and maintenance of an Agency facility.
(c) All moneys used by the Agency from the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund are subject to appropriation by the General Assembly.
(d) All disbursements from the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund shall be made only upon warrants of the State Comptroller drawn upon the State Treasurer as custodian of the Fund upon vouchers signed by the Director or by the person or persons designated by the Director for that purpose. The Comptroller is authorized to draw the warrant upon vouchers so signed. The State Treasurer shall accept all warrants so signed and shall be released from liability for all payments made on those warrants.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-50)
Sec. 1-50. Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund.
(a) The Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
(b) The Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund shall be administered by the Agency for retirement of revenue bonds issued for any Agency facility.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-55)
Sec. 1-55. Operations Funding. The Agency shall adopt rules regarding charges and fees it is expressly authorized to collect in order to fund the operations of the Agency. These charges and fees shall be deposited into the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-56)
Sec. 1-56. Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund; Illinois Solar for All Program.
(a) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury.
(b) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall be administered by the Agency as described in this subsection (b), provided that the changes to this subsection (b) made by this amendatory Act of the 99th General Assembly shall not interfere with existing contracts under this Section.
(1) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy

Resources Fund shall be used to purchase renewable energy credits according to any approved procurement plan developed by the Agency prior to June 1, 2017.

(2) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy

Resources Fund shall also be used to create the Illinois Solar for All Program, which shall include incentives for low-income distributed generation and community solar projects, and other associated approved expenditures. The objectives of the Illinois Solar for All Program are to bring photovoltaics to low-income communities in this State in a manner that maximizes the development of new photovoltaic generating facilities, to create a long-term, low-income solar marketplace throughout this State, to integrate, through interaction with stakeholders, with existing energy efficiency initiatives, and to minimize administrative costs. The Agency shall include a description of its proposed approach to the design, administration, implementation and evaluation of the Illinois Solar for All Program, as part of the long-term renewable resources procurement plan authorized by subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act, and the program shall be designed to grow the low-income solar market. The Agency or utility, as applicable, shall purchase renewable energy credits from the (i) photovoltaic distributed renewable energy generation projects and (ii) community solar projects that are procured under procurement processes authorized by the long-term renewable resources procurement plans approved by the Commission.

The Illinois Solar for All Program shall include the

program offerings described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of this paragraph (2), which the Agency shall implement through contracts with third-party providers and, subject to appropriation, pay the approximate amounts identified using monies available in the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund. Each contract that provides for the installation of solar facilities shall provide that the solar facilities will produce energy and economic benefits, at a level determined by the Agency to be reasonable, for the participating low income customers. The monies available in the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund and not otherwise committed to contracts executed under subsection (i) of this Section shall be allocated among the programs described in this paragraph (2), as follows: 22.5% of these funds shall be allocated to programs described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (2), 37.5% of these funds shall be allocated to programs described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph (2), 15% of these funds shall be allocated to programs described in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (2), and 25% of these funds, but in no event more than $50,000,000, shall be allocated to programs described in subparagraph (D) of this paragraph (2). The allocation of funds among subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C) of this paragraph (2) may be changed if the Agency or administrator, through delegated authority, determines incentives in subparagraphs (A), (B), or (C) of this paragraph (2) have not been adequately subscribed to fully utilize the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund. The determination shall include input through a stakeholder process. The program offerings described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of this paragraph (2) shall also be implemented through contracts funded from such additional amounts as are allocated to one or more of the programs in the long-term renewable resources procurement plans as specified in subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act and subparagraph (O) of paragraph (1) of such subsection (c).

Contracts that will be paid with funds in the

Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall be executed by the Agency. Contracts that will be paid with funds collected by an electric utility shall be executed by the electric utility.

Contracts under the Illinois Solar for All Program

shall include an approach, as set forth in the long-term renewable resources procurement plans, to ensure the wholesale market value of the energy is credited to participating low-income customers or organizations and to ensure tangible economic benefits flow directly to program participants, except in the case of low-income multi-family housing where the low-income customer does not directly pay for energy. Priority shall be given to projects that demonstrate meaningful involvement of low-income community members in designing the initial proposals. Acceptable proposals to implement projects must demonstrate the applicant's ability to conduct initial community outreach, education, and recruitment of low-income participants in the community. Projects must include job training opportunities if available, and shall endeavor to coordinate with the job training programs described in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Section 16-108.12 of the Public Utilities Act.

(A) Low-income distributed generation incentive.

This program will provide incentives to low-income customers, either directly or through solar providers, to increase the participation of low-income households in photovoltaic on-site distributed generation. Companies participating in this program that install solar panels shall commit to hiring job trainees for a portion of their low-income installations, and an administrator shall facilitate partnering the companies that install solar panels with entities that provide solar panel installation job training. It is a goal of this program that a minimum of 25% of the incentives for this program be allocated to projects located within environmental justice communities. Contracts entered into under this paragraph may be entered into with an entity that will develop and administer the program and shall also include contracts for renewable energy credits from the photovoltaic distributed generation that is the subject of the program, as set forth in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan.

(B) Low-Income Community Solar Project

Initiative. Incentives shall be offered to low-income customers, either directly or through developers, to increase the participation of low-income subscribers of community solar projects. The developer of each project shall identify its partnership with community stakeholders regarding the location, development, and participation in the project, provided that nothing shall preclude a project from including an anchor tenant that does not qualify as low-income. Incentives should also be offered to community solar projects that are 100% low-income subscriber owned, which includes low-income households, not-for-profit organizations, and affordable housing owners. It is a goal of this program that a minimum of 25% of the incentives for this program be allocated to community photovoltaic projects in environmental justice communities. Contracts entered into under this paragraph may be entered into with developers and shall also include contracts for renewable energy credits related to the program.

(C) Incentives for non-profits and public

facilities. Under this program funds shall be used to support on-site photovoltaic distributed renewable energy generation devices to serve the load associated with not-for-profit customers and to support photovoltaic distributed renewable energy generation that uses photovoltaic technology to serve the load associated with public sector customers taking service at public buildings. It is a goal of this program that at least 25% of the incentives for this program be allocated to projects located in environmental justice communities. Contracts entered into under this paragraph may be entered into with an entity that will develop and administer the program or with developers and shall also include contracts for renewable energy credits related to the program.

(D) Low-Income Community Solar Pilot Projects.

Under this program, persons, including, but not limited to, electric utilities, shall propose pilot community solar projects. Community solar projects proposed under this subparagraph (D) may exceed 2,000 kilowatts in nameplate capacity, but the amount paid per project under this program may not exceed $20,000,000. Pilot projects must result in economic benefits for the members of the community in which the project will be located. The proposed pilot project must include a partnership with at least one community-based organization. Approved pilot projects shall be competitively bid by the Agency, subject to fair and equitable guidelines developed by the Agency. Funding available under this subparagraph (D) may not be distributed solely to a utility, and at least some funds under this subparagraph (D) must include a project partnership that includes community ownership by the project subscribers. Contracts entered into under this paragraph may be entered into with an entity that will develop and administer the program or with developers and shall also include contracts for renewable energy credits related to the program. A project proposed by a utility that is implemented under this subparagraph (D) shall not be included in the utility's ratebase.

The requirement that a qualified person, as defined

in paragraph (1) of subsection (i) of this Section, install photovoltaic devices does not apply to the Illinois Solar for All Program described in this subsection (b).

(3) Costs associated with the Illinois Solar for

All Program and its components described in paragraph (2) of this subsection (b), including, but not limited to, costs associated with procuring experts, consultants, and the program administrator referenced in this subsection (b) and related incremental costs, and costs related to the evaluation of the Illinois Solar for All Program, may be paid for using monies in the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund, but the Agency or program administrator shall strive to minimize costs in the implementation of the program. The Agency shall purchase renewable energy credits from generation that is the subject of a contract under subparagraphs (A) through (D) of this paragraph (2) of this subsection (b), and may pay for such renewable energy credits through an upfront payment per installed kilowatt of nameplate capacity paid once the device is interconnected at the distribution system level of the utility and is energized. The payment shall be in exchange for an assignment of all renewable energy credits generated by the system during the first 15 years of operation and shall be structured to overcome barriers to participation in the solar market by the low-income community. The incentives provided for in this Section may be implemented through the pricing of renewable energy credits where the prices paid for the credits are higher than the prices from programs offered under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act to account for the incentives. The Agency shall ensure collaboration with community agencies, and allocate up to 5% of the funds available under the Illinois Solar for All Program to community-based groups to assist in grassroots education efforts related to the Illinois Solar for All Program. The Agency shall retire any renewable energy credits purchased from this program and the credits shall count towards the obligation under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act for the electric utility to which the project is interconnected.

(4) The Agency shall, consistent with the

requirements of this subsection (b), propose the Illinois Solar for All Program terms, conditions, and requirements, including the prices to be paid for renewable energy credits, and which prices may be determined through a formula, through the development, review, and approval of the Agency's long-term renewable resources procurement plan described in subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. In the course of the Commission proceeding initiated to review and approve the plan, including the Illinois Solar for All Program proposed by the Agency, a party may propose an additional low-income solar or solar incentive program, or modifications to the programs proposed by the Agency, and the Commission may approve an additional program, or modifications to the Agency's proposed program, if the additional or modified program more effectively maximizes the benefits to low-income customers after taking into account all relevant factors, including, but not limited to, the extent to which a competitive market for low-income solar has developed. Following the Commission's approval of the Illinois Solar for All Program, the Agency or a party may propose adjustments to the program terms, conditions, and requirements, including the price offered to new systems, to ensure the long-term viability and success of the program. The Commission shall review and approve any modifications to the program through the plan revision process described in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.

(5) The Agency shall issue a request for

qualifications for a third-party program administrator or administrators to administer all or a portion of the Illinois Solar for All Program. The third-party program administrator shall be chosen through a competitive bid process based on selection criteria and requirements developed by the Agency, including, but not limited to, experience in administering low-income energy programs and overseeing statewide clean energy or energy efficiency services. If the Agency retains a program administrator or administrators to implement all or a portion of the Illinois Solar for All Program, each administrator shall periodically submit reports to the Agency and Commission for each program that it administers, at appropriate intervals to be identified by the Agency in its long-term renewable resources procurement plan, provided that the reporting interval is at least quarterly.

(6) The long-term renewable resources procurement

plan shall also provide for an independent evaluation of the Illinois Solar for All Program. At least every 2 years, the Agency shall select an independent evaluator to review and report on the Illinois Solar for All Program and the performance of the third-party program administrator of the Illinois Solar for All Program. The evaluation shall be based on objective criteria developed through a public stakeholder process. The process shall include feedback and participation from Illinois Solar for All Program stakeholders, including participants and organizations in environmental justice and historically underserved communities. The report shall include a summary of the evaluation of the Illinois Solar for All Program based on the stakeholder developed objective criteria. The report shall include the number of projects installed; the total installed capacity in kilowatts; the average cost per kilowatt of installed capacity to the extent reasonably obtainable by the Agency; the number of jobs or job opportunities created; economic, social, and environmental benefits created; and the total administrative costs expended by the Agency and program administrator to implement and evaluate the program. The report shall be delivered to the Commission and posted on the Agency's website, and shall be used, as needed, to revise the Illinois Solar for All Program. The Commission shall also consider the results of the evaluation as part of its review of the long-term renewable resources procurement plan under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act.

(7) If additional funding for the programs described

in this subsection (b) is available under subsection (k) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act, then the Agency shall submit a procurement plan to the Commission no later than September 1, 2018, that proposes how the Agency will procure programs on behalf of the applicable utility. After notice and hearing, the Commission shall approve, or approve with modification, the plan no later than November 1, 2018.

As used in this subsection (b), "low-income households" means persons and families whose income does not exceed 80% of area median income, adjusted for family size and revised every 5 years.
For the purposes of this subsection (b), the Agency shall define "environmental justice community" as part of long-term renewable resources procurement plan development, to ensure, to the extent practicable, compatibility with other agencies' definitions and may, for guidance, look to the definitions used by federal, state, or local governments.
(b-5) After the receipt of all payments required by Section 16-115D of the Public Utilities Act, no additional funds shall be deposited into the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund unless directed by order of the Commission.
(b-10) After the receipt of all payments required by Section 16-115D of the Public Utilities Act and payment in full of all contracts executed by the Agency under subsections (b) and (i) of this Section, if the balance of the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund is under $5,000, then the Fund shall be inoperative and any remaining funds and any funds submitted to the Fund after that date, shall be transferred to the Supplemental Low-Income Energy Assistance Fund for use in the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, as authorized by the Energy Assistance Act.
(c) (Blank).
(d) (Blank).
(e) All renewable energy credits procured using monies from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall be permanently retired.
(f) The selection of one or more third-party program managers or administrators, the selection of the independent evaluator, and the procurement processes described in this Section are exempt from the requirements of the Illinois Procurement Code, under Section 20-10 of that Code.
(g) All disbursements from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall be made only upon warrants of the Comptroller drawn upon the Treasurer as custodian of the Fund upon vouchers signed by the Director or by the person or persons designated by the Director for that purpose. The Comptroller is authorized to draw the warrant upon vouchers so signed. The Treasurer shall accept all warrants so signed and shall be released from liability for all payments made on those warrants.
(h) The Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund shall not be subject to sweeps, administrative charges, or chargebacks, including, but not limited to, those authorized under Section 8h of the State Finance Act, that would in any way result in the transfer of any funds from this Fund to any other fund of this State or in having any such funds utilized for any purpose other than the express purposes set forth in this Section.
(h-5) The Agency may assess fees to each bidder to recover the costs incurred in connection with a procurement process held under this Section. Fees collected from bidders shall be deposited into the Renewable Energy Resources Fund.
(i) Supplemental procurement process.
(1) Within 90 days after the effective date of this

amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly, the Agency shall develop a one-time supplemental procurement plan limited to the procurement of renewable energy credits, if available, from new or existing photovoltaics, including, but not limited to, distributed photovoltaic generation. Nothing in this subsection (i) requires procurement of wind generation through the supplemental procurement.

Renewable energy credits procured from new

photovoltaics, including, but not limited to, distributed photovoltaic generation, under this subsection (i) must be procured from devices installed by a qualified person. In its supplemental procurement plan, the Agency shall establish contractually enforceable mechanisms for ensuring that the installation of new photovoltaics is performed by a qualified person.

For the purposes of this paragraph (1), "qualified

person" means a person who performs installations of photovoltaics, including, but not limited to, distributed photovoltaic generation, and who: (A) has completed an apprenticeship as a journeyman electrician from a United States Department of Labor registered electrical apprenticeship and training program and received a certification of satisfactory completion; or (B) does not currently meet the criteria under clause (A) of this paragraph (1), but is enrolled in a United States Department of Labor registered electrical apprenticeship program, provided that the person is directly supervised by a person who meets the criteria under clause (A) of this paragraph (1); or (C) has obtained one of the following credentials in addition to attesting to satisfactory completion of at least 5 years or 8,000 hours of documented hands-on electrical experience: (i) a North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) Installer Certificate for Solar PV; (ii) an Underwriters Laboratories (UL) PV Systems Installer Certificate; (iii) an Electronics Technicians Association, International (ETAI) Level 3 PV Installer Certificate; or (iv) an Associate in Applied Science degree from an Illinois Community College Board approved community college program in renewable energy or a distributed generation technology.

For the purposes of this paragraph (1), "directly

supervised" means that there is a qualified person who meets the qualifications under clause (A) of this paragraph (1) and who is available for supervision and consultation regarding the work performed by persons under clause (B) of this paragraph (1), including a final inspection of the installation work that has been directly supervised to ensure safety and conformity with applicable codes.

For the purposes of this paragraph (1), "install"

means the major activities and actions required to connect, in accordance with applicable building and electrical codes, the conductors, connectors, and all associated fittings, devices, power outlets, or apparatuses mounted at the premises that are directly involved in delivering energy to the premises' electrical wiring from the photovoltaics, including, but not limited to, to distributed photovoltaic generation.

The renewable energy credits procured pursuant to the

supplemental procurement plan shall be procured using up to $30,000,000 from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund. The Agency shall not plan to use funds from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund in excess of the monies on deposit in such fund or projected to be deposited into such fund. The supplemental procurement plan shall ensure adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable renewable energy resources (including credits) at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability.

To the extent available, 50% of the renewable energy

credits procured from distributed renewable energy generation shall come from devices of less than 25 kilowatts in nameplate capacity. Procurement of renewable energy credits from distributed renewable energy generation devices shall be done through multi-year contracts of no less than 5 years. The Agency shall create credit requirements for counterparties. In order to minimize the administrative burden on contracting entities, the Agency shall solicit the use of third parties to aggregate distributed renewable energy. These third parties shall enter into and administer contracts with individual distributed renewable energy generation device owners. An individual distributed renewable energy generation device owner shall have the ability to measure the output of his or her distributed renewable energy generation device.

In developing the supplemental procurement plan, the

Agency shall hold at least one workshop open to the public within 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 98th General Assembly and shall consider any comments made by stakeholders or the public. Upon development of the supplemental procurement plan within this 90-day period, copies of the supplemental procurement plan shall be posted and made publicly available on the Agency's and Commission's websites. All interested parties shall have 14 days following the date of posting to provide comment to the Agency on the supplemental procurement plan. All comments submitted to the Agency shall be specific, supported by data or other detailed analyses, and, if objecting to all or a portion of the supplemental procurement plan, accompanied by specific alternative wording or proposals. All comments shall be posted on the Agency's and Commission's websites. Within 14 days following the end of the 14-day review period, the Agency shall revise the supplemental procurement plan as necessary based on the comments received and file its revised supplemental procurement plan with the Commission for approval.

(2) Within 5 days after the filing of the

supplemental procurement plan at the Commission, any person objecting to the supplemental procurement plan shall file an objection with the Commission. Within 10 days after the filing, the Commission shall determine whether a hearing is necessary. The Commission shall enter its order confirming or modifying the supplemental procurement plan within 90 days after the filing of the supplemental procurement plan by the Agency.

(3) The Commission shall approve the supplemental

procurement plan of renewable energy credits to be procured from new or existing photovoltaics, including, but not limited to, distributed photovoltaic generation, if the Commission determines that it will ensure adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service in the form of renewable energy credits at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability.

(4) The supplemental procurement process under this

subsection (i) shall include each of the following components:

(A) Procurement administrator. The Agency may

retain a procurement administrator in the manner set forth in item (2) of subsection (a) of Section 1-75 of this Act to conduct the supplemental procurement or may elect to use the same procurement administrator administering the Agency's annual procurement under Section 1-75.

(B) Procurement monitor. The procurement

monitor retained by the Commission pursuant to Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act shall:

(i) monitor interactions among the

procurement administrator and bidders and suppliers;

(ii) monitor and report to the Commission on

the progress of the supplemental procurement process;

(iii) provide an independent confidential

report to the Commission regarding the results of the procurement events;

(iv) assess compliance with the procurement

plan approved by the Commission for the supplemental procurement process;

(v) preserve the confidentiality of supplier

and bidding information in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and tariffs;

(vi) provide expert advice to the Commission

and consult with the procurement administrator regarding issues related to procurement process design, rules, protocols, and policy-related matters;

(vii) consult with the procurement

administrator regarding the development and use of benchmark criteria, standard form contracts, credit policies, and bid documents; and

(viii) perform, with respect to the

supplemental procurement process, any other procurement monitor duties specifically delineated within subsection (i) of this Section.

(C) Solicitation, pre-qualification, and

registration of bidders. The procurement administrator shall disseminate information to potential bidders to promote a procurement event, notify potential bidders that the procurement administrator may enter into a post-bid price negotiation with bidders that meet the applicable benchmarks, provide supply requirements, and otherwise explain the competitive procurement process. In addition to such other publication as the procurement administrator determines is appropriate, this information shall be posted on the Agency's and the Commission's websites. The procurement administrator shall also administer the prequalification process, including evaluation of credit worthiness, compliance with procurement rules, and agreement to the standard form contract developed pursuant to item (D) of this paragraph (4). The procurement administrator shall then identify and register bidders to participate in the procurement event.

(D) Standard contract forms and credit terms and

instruments. The procurement administrator, in consultation with the Agency, the Commission, and other interested parties and subject to Commission oversight, shall develop and provide standard contract forms for the supplier contracts that meet generally accepted industry practices as well as include any applicable State of Illinois terms and conditions that are required for contracts entered into by an agency of the State of Illinois. Standard credit terms and instruments that meet generally accepted industry practices shall be similarly developed. Contracts for new photovoltaics shall include a provision attesting that the supplier will use a qualified person for the installation of the device pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection (i) of this Section. The procurement administrator shall make available to the Commission all written comments it receives on the contract forms, credit terms, or instruments. If the procurement administrator cannot reach agreement with the parties as to the contract terms and conditions, the procurement administrator must notify the Commission of any disputed terms and the Commission shall resolve the dispute. The terms of the contracts shall not be subject to negotiation by winning bidders, and the bidders must agree to the terms of the contract in advance so that winning bids are selected solely on the basis of price.

(E) Requests for proposals; competitive

procurement process. The procurement administrator shall design and issue requests for proposals to supply renewable energy credits in accordance with the supplemental procurement plan, as approved by the Commission. The requests for proposals shall set forth a procedure for sealed, binding commitment bidding with pay-as-bid settlement, and provision for selection of bids on the basis of price, provided, however, that no bid shall be accepted if it exceeds the benchmark developed pursuant to item (F) of this paragraph (4).

(F) Benchmarks. Benchmarks for each product to

be procured shall be developed by the procurement administrator in consultation with Commission staff, the Agency, and the procurement monitor for use in this supplemental procurement.

(G) A plan for implementing contingencies in the

event of supplier default, Commission rejection of results, or any other cause.

(5) Within 2 business days after opening the sealed

bids, the procurement administrator shall submit a confidential report to the Commission. The report shall contain the results of the bidding for each of the products along with the procurement administrator's recommendation for the acceptance and rejection of bids based on the price benchmark criteria and other factors observed in the process. The procurement monitor also shall submit a confidential report to the Commission within 2 business days after opening the sealed bids. The report shall contain the procurement monitor's assessment of bidder behavior in the process as well as an assessment of the procurement administrator's compliance with the procurement process and rules. The Commission shall review the confidential reports submitted by the procurement administrator and procurement monitor and shall accept or reject the recommendations of the procurement administrator within 2 business days after receipt of the reports.

(6) Within 3 business days after the Commission

decision approving the results of a procurement event, the Agency shall enter into binding contractual arrangements with the winning suppliers using the standard form contracts.

(7) The names of the successful bidders and the

average of the winning bid prices for each contract type and for each contract term shall be made available to the public within 2 days after the supplemental procurement event. The Commission, the procurement monitor, the procurement administrator, the Agency, and all participants in the procurement process shall maintain the confidentiality of all other supplier and bidding information in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and tariffs. Confidential information, including the confidential reports submitted by the procurement administrator and procurement monitor pursuant to this Section, shall not be made publicly available and shall not be discoverable by any party in any proceeding, absent a compelling demonstration of need, nor shall those reports be admissible in any proceeding other than one for law enforcement purposes.

(8) The supplemental procurement provided in this

subsection (i) shall not be subject to the requirements and limitations of subsections (c) and (d) of this Section.

(9) Expenses incurred in connection with the

procurement process held pursuant to this Section, including, but not limited to, the cost of developing the supplemental procurement plan, the procurement administrator, procurement monitor, and the cost of the retirement of renewable energy credits purchased pursuant to the supplemental procurement shall be paid for from the Illinois Power Agency Renewable Energy Resources Fund. The Agency shall enter into an interagency agreement with the Commission to reimburse the Commission for its costs associated with the procurement monitor for the supplemental procurement process.

(Source: P.A. 98-672, eff. 6-30-14; 99-906, eff. 6-1-17.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-57)
Sec. 1-57. Facility financing.
(a) The Agency shall have the power (1) to borrow from the Authority, through one or more Agency loan agreements, the net proceeds of revenue bonds for costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility, provided that the stated maturity date of any of those revenue bonds shall not exceed 40 years from their respective issuance dates, (2) to accept prepayments from purchasers of electric energy from a project and to apply the same to costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility, subject to any obligation to refund the same under the circumstances specified in the purchasers' contract for the purchase and sale of electric energy from that project, (3) to enter into leases or similar arrangements to finance the property constituting a part of a project and associated costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility, provided that the term of any such lease or similar arrangement shall not exceed 40 years from its inception, and (4) to enter into agreements for the sale of revenue bonds that bear interest at a rate or rates not exceeding the maximum rate permitted by the Bond Authorization Act. All Agency loan agreements shall include terms making the obligations thereunder subject to redemption before maturity.
(b) The Agency may from time to time engage the services of the Authority, attorneys, appraisers, architects, engineers, accountants, credit analysts, bond underwriters, bond trustees, credit enhancement providers, and other financial professionals and consultants, if the Agency deems it advisable.
(c) The Agency may pledge, as security for the payment of its revenue bonds in respect of a project, (1) revenues derived from the operation of the project in part or whole, (2) the real and personal property, machinery, equipment, structures, fixtures, and inventories directly associated with the project, (3) grants or other revenues or taxes expected to be received by the Agency directly linked to the project, (4) payments to be made by another governmental unit or other entity pursuant to a service, user, or other similar agreement with that governmental unit or other entity that is a result of the project, (5) any other revenues or moneys deposited or to be deposited directly linked to the project, (6) all design, engineering, procurement, construction, installation, management, and operation agreements associated with the project, (7) any reserve or debt service funds created under the agreements governing the indebtedness, (8) the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund or the Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund, or (9) any combination thereof. Any such pledge shall be authorized in a writing, signed by the Director of the Agency, and then signed by the Governor of Illinois. At no time shall the funds contained in the Illinois Power Agency Trust Fund be pledged or used in any way to pay for the indebtedness of the Agency. The Director shall not authorize the issuance or grant of any pledge until he or she has certified that any associated project is in full compliance with Sections 1-85 and 1-86 of this Act. The certification shall be duly attached or referenced in the agreements reflecting the pledge. Any such pledge made by the Agency shall be valid and binding from the time the pledge is made. The revenues, property, or funds that are pledged and thereafter received by the Agency shall immediately be subject to the lien of the pledge without any physical delivery thereof or further act; and, subject only to the provisions of prior liens, the lien of the pledge shall be valid and binding as against all parties having claims of any kind in tort, contract, or otherwise against the Agency irrespective of whether the parties have notice thereof. All bonds issued on behalf of the Agency must be issued by the Authority and must be revenue bonds. These revenue bonds may be taxable or tax-exempt.
(d) All indebtedness issued by or on behalf of the Agency, including, without limitation, any revenue bonds issued by the Authority on behalf of the Agency, shall not be a debt of the State, the Authority, any political subdivision thereof (other than the Agency to the extent provided in agreements governing the indebtedness), any local government, any governmental aggregator as defined in this Act, or any local government, and none of the State, the Authority, any political subdivision thereof (other than the Agency to the extent provided in agreements governing the indebtedness), any local government, or any government aggregator shall be liable thereon. Neither the Authority nor the Agency shall have the power to pledge the credit, the revenues, or the taxing power of the State, any political subdivision thereof (other than the Agency), any governmental aggregator, or of any local government, and neither the credit, the revenues, nor the taxing power of the State, any political subdivision thereof (other than the Agency), any governmental aggregator, or any local government shall be, or shall be deemed to be, pledged to the payment of any revenue bonds, notes, or other obligations of the Agency. In addition, the agreements governing any issue of indebtedness shall provide that all holders of that indebtedness, by virtue of their acquisition thereof, have agreed to waive and release all claims and causes of action against the State of Illinois in respect of the indebtedness or any project associated therewith based on any theory of law. However, the waiver shall not prohibit the holders of indebtedness issued on behalf of the Agency from filing any cause of action against or recovering damages from the Agency, recovering from any property or funds pledged to secure the indebtedness, or recovering from any property or funds to which the Agency holds title, provided the property or funds are directly associated with the project for which the indebtedness was specifically issued. Each evidence of indebtedness of the Agency, including the revenue bonds issued by the Authority on behalf of the Agency, shall contain a clear and explicit statement of the provisions of this Section.
(e) The Agency may from time to time enter into an agreement or agreements to defease indebtedness issued on its behalf or to refund, at maturity, at a redemption date or in advance of either, any indebtedness issued on its behalf or pursuant to redemption provisions or at any time before maturity. All such refunding indebtedness shall be subject to the requirements set forth in subsections (a), (c), and (d) of this Section. No revenue bonds issued to refund or advance refund revenue bonds issued under this Section may mature later than the longest maturity date of the series of bonds being refunded. After the aggregate original principal amount of revenue bonds authorized in this Section has been issued, the payment of any principal amount of those revenue bonds does not authorize the issuance of additional revenue bonds (except refunding revenue bonds).
(f) If the Agency fails to pay the principal of, interest, or premium, if any, on any indebtedness as the same becomes due, a civil action to compel payment may be instituted in the appropriate circuit court by the holder or holders of the indebtedness on which the default of payment exists or by any administrative agent, collateral agent, or indenture trustee acting on behalf of those holders. Delivery of a summons and a copy of the complaint to the Director of the Agency shall constitute sufficient service to give the circuit court jurisdiction over the subject matter of the suit and jurisdiction over the Agency and its officers named as defendants for the purpose of compelling that payment. Any case, controversy, or cause of action concerning the validity of this Act shall relate to the revenue of the Agency. Any such claims and related proceedings are subject in all respects to the provisions of subsection (d) of this Section. The State of Illinois shall not be liable or in any other way financially responsible for any indebtedness issued by or on behalf of the Agency or the performance or non-performance of any covenants associated with any such indebtedness. The foregoing statement shall not prohibit the holders of any indebtedness issued on behalf of the Agency from filing any cause of action against or recovering damages from the Agency recovering from any property pledged to secure that indebtedness or recovering from any property or funds to which the Agency holds title provided such property or funds are directly associated with the project for which the indebtedness is specifically issued.
(g) Upon each delivery of the revenue bonds authorized to be issued by the Authority under this Act, the Agency shall compute and certify to the State Comptroller the total amount of principal of and interest on the Agency loan agreement supporting the revenue bonds issued that will be payable in order to retire those revenue bonds and the amount of principal of and interest on the Agency loan agreement that will be payable on each payment date during the then current and each succeeding fiscal year. As soon as possible after the first day of each month, beginning on the date set forth in the Agency loan agreement where that date specifies when the Agency shall begin setting aside revenues and other moneys for repayment of the revenue bonds per the agreed to schedule, the Agency shall certify to the Comptroller and the Comptroller shall order transferred and the Treasurer shall transfer from the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund to the Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund for each month remaining in the State fiscal year a sum of money, appropriated for that purpose, equal to the result of the amount of principal of and interest on those revenue bonds payable on the next payment date divided by the number of full calendar months between the date of those revenue bonds, and the first such payment date, and thereafter divided by the number of months between each succeeding payment date after the first. The Comptroller is authorized and directed to draw warrants on the State Treasurer from the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund and the Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund for the amount of all payments of principal and interest on the Agency loan agreement relating to the Authority revenue bonds issued under this Act. The State Treasurer or the State Comptroller shall deposit or cause to be deposited any amount of grants or other revenues expected to be received by the Agency that the Agency has pledged to the payment of revenue bonds directly into the Illinois Power Agency Debt Service Fund.
(Source: P.A. 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-58)
Sec. 1-58. Clean coal SNG facility construction.
(a) It is the intention of the General Assembly to provide additional long-term natural gas price stability to the State and consumers by promoting the development of a clean coal SNG facility that would produce a minimum annual output of 30 Bcf of SNG and commence construction no later than June 1, 2013 on a brownfield site in a municipality with at least one million residents. The costs associated with preparing a facility cost report for such a facility, which contains all of the information required by subsection (b) of this Section, may be paid or reimbursed pursuant to subsection (c) of this Section.
(b) The facility cost report for a facility that meets the criteria set forth in subsection (a) of this Section shall be prepared by a duly licensed engineering firm that details the estimated capital costs payable to one or more contractors or suppliers for the engineering, procurement, and construction of the components comprising the facility and the estimated costs of operation and maintenance of the facility. The report must be provided to the General Assembly and the Agency on or before April 30, 2010. The facility cost report shall include all off the following:
(1) An estimate of the capital cost of the core plant

based on a front-end engineering and design study. The core plant shall include all civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, control, and safety systems. The quoted construction costs shall be expressed in nominal dollars as of the date that the quote is prepared and shall include:

(A) capitalized financing costs during

construction;

(B) taxes, insurance, and other owner's costs; and
(C) any assumed escalation in materials and labor

beyond the date as of which the construction cost quote is expressed;

(2) An estimate of the capital cost of the balance of

the plant, including any capital costs associated with site preparation and remediation, sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions, and all interconnects and interfaces required to operate the facility, such as construction or backfeed power supply, pipelines to transport substitute natural gas or carbon dioxide, potable water supply, natural gas supply, water supply, water discharge, landfill, access roads, and coal delivery. The front-end engineering and design study and the cost study for the balance of the plant shall include sufficient design work to permit quantification of major categories of materials, commodities and labor hours, and receipt of quotes from vendors of major equipment required to construct and operate the facility.

(3) An operating and maintenance cost quote that will

provide the estimated cost of delivered fuel, personnel, maintenance contracts, chemicals, catalysts, consumables, spares, and other fixed and variable operating and maintenance costs. This quote is subject to the following requirements:

(A) The delivered fuel cost estimate shall be

provided by a recognized third party expert or experts in the fuel and transportation industries.

(B) The balance of the operating and maintenance

cost quote, excluding delivered fuel costs shall be developed based on the inputs provided by a duly licensed engineering firm performing the construction cost quote, potential vendors under long-term service agreements and plant operating agreements, or recognized third-party plant operator or operators.

The operating and maintenance cost quote shall be

expressed in nominal dollars as of the date that the quote is prepared and shall include (i) taxes, insurance, and other owner's costs and (ii) any assumed escalation in materials and labor beyond the date as of which the operating and maintenance cost quote is expressed.

(c) Reasonable amounts paid or due to be paid by the owner or owners of the clean coal SNG facility to third parties unrelated to the owner or owners to prepare the facility cost report will be reimbursed or paid up to $10 million through Coal Development Bonds.
(d) The Agency shall review the facility report and based on that report, consider whether to enter into long term contracts to purchase SNG from the facility pursuant to Section 1-20 of this Act. To assist with its evaluation of the report, the Agency may hire one or more experts or consultants, the reasonable costs of which, not to exceed $250,000, shall be paid for by the owner or owners of the clean coal SNG facility submitting the facility cost report. The Agency may begin the process of selecting such experts or consultants prior to receipt of the facility cost report.
(Source: P.A. 96-781, eff. 8-28-09; 96-784, eff. 8-28-09; 96-1000, eff. 7-2-10.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-60)
Sec. 1-60. Moneys made available by private or public entities. The Agency may apply for, receive, expend, allocate, or disburse funds and moneys made available by public or private entities, including, but not limited to, contracts, private or public financial gifts, bequests, grants, or donations from individuals, corporations, foundations, or public or private institutions of higher learning. All funds received by the Agency from these sources shall be deposited:
(1) into the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund,

if for general Agency operations, to be held by the State Treasurer as ex officio custodian, and subject to the Comptroller-Treasurer, voucher-warrant system; or

(2) into the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund,

if for costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility by the Agency, to be held by the State Treasurer as ex officio custodian, and subject to the Comptroller-Treasurer, voucher-warrant system.

Any funds received, expended, allocated, or disbursed shall be expended by the Agency for the purposes as indicated by the grantor, donor, or, in the case of funds or moneys given or donated for no specific purposes, for any purpose deemed appropriate by the Director in administering the responsibilities of the Agency as set forth in this Act.
(Source: P.A. 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-65)
Sec. 1-65. Appropriations for operations. The General Assembly may appropriate moneys from the General Revenue Fund for the operation of the Illinois Power Agency in Fiscal Year 2008 not to exceed $1,250,000 and in Fiscal Year 2009 not to exceed $1,500,000. These appropriated funds shall constitute an advance that the Agency shall repay without interest to the State in Fiscal Year 2010 and in Fiscal Year 2011. Beginning with Fiscal Year 2010, the operation of the Agency shall be funded solely from moneys in the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund with no liability or obligation imposed on the State by those operations.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07; 95-876, eff. 8-21-08.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-70)
Sec. 1-70. Agency officials.
(a) The Agency shall have a Director who meets the qualifications specified in Section 5-222 of the Civil Administrative Code of Illinois.
(b) Within the Illinois Power Agency, the Agency shall establish a Planning and Procurement Bureau and may establish a Resource Development Bureau. Each Bureau shall report to the Director.
(c) The Chief of the Planning and Procurement Bureau shall be appointed by the Director, at the Director's sole discretion, and (i) shall have at least 5 years of direct experience in electricity supply planning and procurement and (ii) shall also hold an advanced degree in risk management, law, business, or a related field.
(d) The Chief of the Resource Development Bureau may be appointed by the Director and (i) shall have at least 5 years of direct experience in electric generating project development and (ii) shall also hold an advanced degree in economics, engineering, law, business, or a related field.
(e) For terms ending before December 31, 2019, the Director shall receive an annual salary of $100,000 or as set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is higher. For terms ending before December 31, 2019, the Bureau Chiefs shall each receive an annual salary of $85,000 or as set by the Compensation Review Board, whichever is higher. For terms beginning after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 100th General Assembly, the annual salaries for the Director and the Bureau Chiefs shall be an amount equal to 15% more than the respective position's annual salary as of December 31, 2018. The calculation of the 2018 salary base for this adjustment shall not include any cost of living adjustments, as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly, for the period beginning July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2019. Beginning July 1, 2019 and each July 1 thereafter, the Director and the Bureau Chiefs shall receive an increase in salary based on a cost of living adjustment as authorized by Senate Joint Resolution 192 of the 86th General Assembly.
(f) The Director and Bureau Chiefs shall not, for 2 years prior to appointment or for 2 years after he or she leaves his or her position, be employed by an electric utility, independent power producer, power marketer, or alternative retail electric supplier regulated by the Commission or the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
(g) The Director and Bureau Chiefs are prohibited from: (i) owning, directly or indirectly, 5% or more of the voting capital stock of an electric utility, independent power producer, power marketer, or alternative retail electric supplier; (ii) being in any chain of successive ownership of 5% or more of the voting capital stock of any electric utility, independent power producer, power marketer, or alternative retail electric supplier; (iii) receiving any form of compensation, fee, payment, or other consideration from an electric utility, independent power producer, power marketer, or alternative retail electric supplier, including legal fees, consulting fees, bonuses, or other sums. These limitations do not apply to any compensation received pursuant to a defined benefit plan or other form of deferred compensation, provided that the individual has otherwise severed all ties to the utility, power producer, power marketer, or alternative retail electric supplier.
(Source: P.A. 99-536, eff. 7-8-16; 100-1179, eff. 1-18-19.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-75)
Sec. 1-75. Planning and Procurement Bureau. The Planning and Procurement Bureau has the following duties and responsibilities:
(a) The Planning and Procurement Bureau shall each year, beginning in 2008, develop procurement plans and conduct competitive procurement processes in accordance with the requirements of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act for the eligible retail customers of electric utilities that on December 31, 2005 provided electric service to at least 100,000 customers in Illinois. Beginning with the delivery year commencing on June 1, 2017, the Planning and Procurement Bureau shall develop plans and processes for the procurement of zero emission credits from zero emission facilities in accordance with the requirements of subsection (d-5) of this Section. The Planning and Procurement Bureau shall also develop procurement plans and conduct competitive procurement processes in accordance with the requirements of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act for the eligible retail customers of small multi-jurisdictional electric utilities that (i) on December 31, 2005 served less than 100,000 customers in Illinois and (ii) request a procurement plan for their Illinois jurisdictional load. This Section shall not apply to a small multi-jurisdictional utility until such time as a small multi-jurisdictional utility requests the Agency to prepare a procurement plan for their Illinois jurisdictional load. For the purposes of this Section, the term "eligible retail customers" has the same definition as found in Section 16-111.5(a) of the Public Utilities Act.
Beginning with the plan or plans to be implemented in the 2017 delivery year, the Agency shall no longer include the procurement of renewable energy resources in the annual procurement plans required by this subsection (a), except as provided in subsection (q) of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, and shall instead develop a long-term renewable resources procurement plan in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
(1) The Agency shall each year, beginning in 2008,

as needed, issue a request for qualifications for experts or expert consulting firms to develop the procurement plans in accordance with Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. In order to qualify an expert or expert consulting firm must have:

(A) direct previous experience assembling

large-scale power supply plans or portfolios for end-use customers;

(B) an advanced degree in economics, mathematics,

engineering, risk management, or a related area of study;

(C) 10 years of experience in the electricity

sector, including managing supply risk;

(D) expertise in wholesale electricity market

rules, including those established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and regional transmission organizations;

(E) expertise in credit protocols and familiarity

with contract protocols;

(F) adequate resources to perform and fulfill the

required functions and responsibilities; and

(G) the absence of a conflict of interest and

inappropriate bias for or against potential bidders or the affected electric utilities.

(2) The Agency shall each year, as needed, issue a

request for qualifications for a procurement administrator to conduct the competitive procurement processes in accordance with Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. In order to qualify an expert or expert consulting firm must have:

(A) direct previous experience administering a

large-scale competitive procurement process;

(B) an advanced degree in economics, mathematics,

engineering, or a related area of study;

(C) 10 years of experience in the electricity

sector, including risk management experience;

(D) expertise in wholesale electricity market

rules, including those established by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and regional transmission organizations;

(E) expertise in credit and contract protocols;
(F) adequate resources to perform and fulfill the

required functions and responsibilities; and

(G) the absence of a conflict of interest and

inappropriate bias for or against potential bidders or the affected electric utilities.

(3) The Agency shall provide affected utilities and

other interested parties with the lists of qualified experts or expert consulting firms identified through the request for qualifications processes that are under consideration to develop the procurement plans and to serve as the procurement administrator. The Agency shall also provide each qualified expert's or expert consulting firm's response to the request for qualifications. All information provided under this subparagraph shall also be provided to the Commission. The Agency may provide by rule for fees associated with supplying the information to utilities and other interested parties. These parties shall, within 5 business days, notify the Agency in writing if they object to any experts or expert consulting firms on the lists. Objections shall be based on:

(A) failure to satisfy qualification criteria;
(B) identification of a conflict of interest; or
(C) evidence of inappropriate bias for or against

potential bidders or the affected utilities.

The Agency shall remove experts or expert consulting

firms from the lists within 10 days if there is a reasonable basis for an objection and provide the updated lists to the affected utilities and other interested parties. If the Agency fails to remove an expert or expert consulting firm from a list, an objecting party may seek review by the Commission within 5 days thereafter by filing a petition, and the Commission shall render a ruling on the petition within 10 days. There is no right of appeal of the Commission's ruling.

(4) The Agency shall issue requests for proposals to

the qualified experts or expert consulting firms to develop a procurement plan for the affected utilities and to serve as procurement administrator.

(5) The Agency shall select an expert or expert

consulting firm to develop procurement plans based on the proposals submitted and shall award contracts of up to 5 years to those selected.

(6) The Agency shall select an expert or expert

consulting firm, with approval of the Commission, to serve as procurement administrator based on the proposals submitted. If the Commission rejects, within 5 days, the Agency's selection, the Agency shall submit another recommendation within 3 days based on the proposals submitted. The Agency shall award a 5-year contract to the expert or expert consulting firm so selected with Commission approval.

(b) The experts or expert consulting firms retained by the Agency shall, as appropriate, prepare procurement plans, and conduct a competitive procurement process as prescribed in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, to ensure adequate, reliable, affordable, efficient, and environmentally sustainable electric service at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability, for eligible retail customers of electric utilities that on December 31, 2005 provided electric service to at least 100,000 customers in the State of Illinois, and for eligible Illinois retail customers of small multi-jurisdictional electric utilities that (i) on December 31, 2005 served less than 100,000 customers in Illinois and (ii) request a procurement plan for their Illinois jurisdictional load.
(c) Renewable portfolio standard.
(1)(A) The Agency shall develop a long-term

renewable resources procurement plan that shall include procurement programs and competitive procurement events necessary to meet the goals set forth in this subsection (c). The initial long-term renewable resources procurement plan shall be released for comment no later than 160 days after June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906). The Agency shall review, and may revise on an expedited basis, the long-term renewable resources procurement plan at least every 2 years, which shall be conducted in conjunction with the procurement plan under Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act to the extent practicable to minimize administrative expense. The long-term renewable resources procurement plans shall be subject to review and approval by the Commission under Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.

(B) Subject to subparagraph (F) of this paragraph

(1), the long-term renewable resources procurement plan shall include the goals for procurement of renewable energy credits to meet at least the following overall percentages: 13% by the 2017 delivery year; increasing by at least 1.5% each delivery year thereafter to at least 25% by the 2025 delivery year; and continuing at no less than 25% for each delivery year thereafter. In the event of a conflict between these goals and the new wind and new photovoltaic procurement requirements described in items (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (1), the long-term plan shall prioritize compliance with the new wind and new photovoltaic procurement requirements described in items (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (1) over the annual percentage targets described in this subparagraph (B).

For the delivery year beginning June 1, 2017, the

procurement plan shall include cost-effective renewable energy resources equal to at least 13% of each utility's load for eligible retail customers and 13% of the applicable portion of each utility's load for retail customers who are not eligible retail customers, which applicable portion shall equal 50% of the utility's load for retail customers who are not eligible retail customers on February 28, 2017.

For the delivery year beginning June 1, 2018, the

procurement plan shall include cost-effective renewable energy resources equal to at least 14.5% of each utility's load for eligible retail customers and 14.5% of the applicable portion of each utility's load for retail customers who are not eligible retail customers, which applicable portion shall equal 75% of the utility's load for retail customers who are not eligible retail customers on February 28, 2017.

For the delivery year beginning June 1, 2019, and for

each year thereafter, the procurement plans shall include cost-effective renewable energy resources equal to a minimum percentage of each utility's load for all retail customers as follows: 16% by June 1, 2019; increasing by 1.5% each year thereafter to 25% by June 1, 2025; and 25% by June 1, 2026 and each year thereafter.

For each delivery year, the Agency shall first

recognize each utility's obligations for that delivery year under existing contracts. Any renewable energy credits under existing contracts, including renewable energy credits as part of renewable energy resources, shall be used to meet the goals set forth in this subsection (c) for the delivery year.

(C) Of the renewable energy credits procured under

this subsection (c), at least 75% shall come from wind and photovoltaic projects. The long-term renewable resources procurement plan described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1) shall include the procurement of renewable energy credits in amounts equal to at least the following:

(i) By the end of the 2020 delivery year:
At least 2,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new wind projects; and

At least 2,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new photovoltaic projects; of that amount, to the extent possible, the Agency shall procure: at least 50% from solar photovoltaic projects using the program outlined in subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) from distributed renewable energy generation devices or community renewable generation projects; at least 40% from utility-scale solar projects; at least 2% from brownfield site photovoltaic projects that are not community renewable generation projects; and the remainder shall be determined through the long-term planning process described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1).

(ii) By the end of the 2025 delivery year:
At least 3,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new wind projects; and

At least 3,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new photovoltaic projects; of that amount, to the extent possible, the Agency shall procure: at least 50% from solar photovoltaic projects using the program outlined in subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) from distributed renewable energy devices or community renewable generation projects; at least 40% from utility-scale solar projects; at least 2% from brownfield site photovoltaic projects that are not community renewable generation projects; and the remainder shall be determined through the long-term planning process described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1).

(iii) By the end of the 2030 delivery year:
At least 4,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new wind projects; and

At least 4,000,000 renewable energy credits

for each delivery year shall come from new photovoltaic projects; of that amount, to the extent possible, the Agency shall procure: at least 50% from solar photovoltaic projects using the program outlined in subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) from distributed renewable energy devices or community renewable generation projects; at least 40% from utility-scale solar projects; at least 2% from brownfield site photovoltaic projects that are not community renewable generation projects; and the remainder shall be determined through the long-term planning process described in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1).

For purposes of this Section:
"New wind projects" means wind renewable

energy facilities that are energized after June 1, 2017 for the delivery year commencing June 1, 2017 or within 3 years after the date the Commission approves contracts for subsequent delivery years.

"New photovoltaic projects" means

photovoltaic renewable energy facilities that are energized after June 1, 2017. Photovoltaic projects developed under Section 1-56 of this Act shall not apply towards the new photovoltaic project requirements in this subparagraph (C).

(D) Renewable energy credits shall be cost

effective. For purposes of this subsection (c), "cost effective" means that the costs of procuring renewable energy resources do not cause the limit stated in subparagraph (E) of this paragraph (1) to be exceeded and, for renewable energy credits procured through a competitive procurement event, do not exceed benchmarks based on market prices for like products in the region. For purposes of this subsection (c), "like products" means contracts for renewable energy credits from the same or substantially similar technology, same or substantially similar vintage (new or existing), the same or substantially similar quantity, and the same or substantially similar contract length and structure. Benchmarks shall be developed by the procurement administrator, in consultation with the Commission staff, Agency staff, and the procurement monitor and shall be subject to Commission review and approval. If price benchmarks for like products in the region are not available, the procurement administrator shall establish price benchmarks based on publicly available data on regional technology costs and expected current and future regional energy prices. The benchmarks in this Section shall not be used to curtail or otherwise reduce contractual obligations entered into by or through the Agency prior to June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906).

(E) For purposes of this subsection (c), the

required procurement of cost-effective renewable energy resources for a particular year commencing prior to June 1, 2017 shall be measured as a percentage of the actual amount of electricity (megawatt-hours) supplied by the electric utility to eligible retail customers in the delivery year ending immediately prior to the procurement, and, for delivery years commencing on and after June 1, 2017, the required procurement of cost-effective renewable energy resources for a particular year shall be measured as a percentage of the actual amount of electricity (megawatt-hours) delivered by the electric utility in the delivery year ending immediately prior to the procurement, to all retail customers in its service territory. For purposes of this subsection (c), the amount paid per kilowatthour means the total amount paid for electric service expressed on a per kilowatthour basis. For purposes of this subsection (c), the total amount paid for electric service includes without limitation amounts paid for supply, transmission, distribution, surcharges, and add-on taxes.

Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection

(c), the total of renewable energy resources procured under the procurement plan for any single year shall be subject to the limitations of this subparagraph (E). Such procurement shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than the greater of 2.015% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2007 or the incremental amount per kilowatthour paid for these resources in 2011. To arrive at a maximum dollar amount of renewable energy resources to be procured for the particular delivery year, the resulting per kilowatthour amount shall be applied to the actual amount of kilowatthours of electricity delivered, or applicable portion of such amount as specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection (c), as applicable, by the electric utility in the delivery year immediately prior to the procurement to all retail customers in its service territory. The calculations required by this subparagraph (E) shall be made only once for each delivery year at the time that the renewable energy resources are procured. Once the determination as to the amount of renewable energy resources to procure is made based on the calculations set forth in this subparagraph (E) and the contracts procuring those amounts are executed, no subsequent rate impact determinations shall be made and no adjustments to those contract amounts shall be allowed. All costs incurred under such contracts shall be fully recoverable by the electric utility as provided in this Section.

(F) If the limitation on the amount of

renewable energy resources procured in subparagraph (E) of this paragraph (1) prevents the Agency from meeting all of the goals in this subsection (c), the Agency's long-term plan shall prioritize compliance with the requirements of this subsection (c) regarding renewable energy credits in the following order:

(i) renewable energy credits under existing

contractual obligations;

(i-5) funding for the Illinois Solar for All

Program, as described in subparagraph (O) of this paragraph (1);

(ii) renewable energy credits necessary to

comply with the new wind and new photovoltaic procurement requirements described in items (i) through (iii) of subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (1); and

(iii) renewable energy credits necessary to

meet the remaining requirements of this subsection (c).

(G) The following provisions shall apply to the

Agency's procurement of renewable energy credits under this subsection (c):

(i) Notwithstanding whether a long-term

renewable resources procurement plan has been approved, the Agency shall conduct an initial forward procurement for renewable energy credits from new utility-scale wind projects within 160 days after June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906). For the purposes of this initial forward procurement, the Agency shall solicit 15-year contracts for delivery of 1,000,000 renewable energy credits delivered annually from new utility-scale wind projects to begin delivery on June 1, 2019, if available, but not later than June 1, 2021. Payments to suppliers of renewable energy credits shall commence upon delivery. Renewable energy credits procured under this initial procurement shall be included in the Agency's long-term plan and shall apply to all renewable energy goals in this subsection (c).

(ii) Notwithstanding whether a long-term

renewable resources procurement plan has been approved, the Agency shall conduct an initial forward procurement for renewable energy credits from new utility-scale solar projects and brownfield site photovoltaic projects within one year after June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906). For the purposes of this initial forward procurement, the Agency shall solicit 15-year contracts for delivery of 1,000,000 renewable energy credits delivered annually from new utility-scale solar projects and brownfield site photovoltaic projects to begin delivery on June 1, 2019, if available, but not later than June 1, 2021. The Agency may structure this initial procurement in one or more discrete procurement events. Payments to suppliers of renewable energy credits shall commence upon delivery. Renewable energy credits procured under this initial procurement shall be included in the Agency's long-term plan and shall apply to all renewable energy goals in this subsection (c).

(iii) Subsequent forward procurements for

utility-scale wind projects shall solicit at least 1,000,000 renewable energy credits delivered annually per procurement event and shall be planned, scheduled, and designed such that the cumulative amount of renewable energy credits delivered from all new wind projects in each delivery year shall not exceed the Agency's projection of the cumulative amount of renewable energy credits that will be delivered from all new photovoltaic projects, including utility-scale and distributed photovoltaic devices, in the same delivery year at the time scheduled for wind contract delivery.

(iv) If, at any time after the time set for

delivery of renewable energy credits pursuant to the initial procurements in items (i) and (ii) of this subparagraph (G), the cumulative amount of renewable energy credits projected to be delivered from all new wind projects in a given delivery year exceeds the cumulative amount of renewable energy credits projected to be delivered from all new photovoltaic projects in that delivery year by 200,000 or more renewable energy credits, then the Agency shall within 60 days adjust the procurement programs in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan to ensure that the projected cumulative amount of renewable energy credits to be delivered from all new wind projects does not exceed the projected cumulative amount of renewable energy credits to be delivered from all new photovoltaic projects by 200,000 or more renewable energy credits, provided that nothing in this Section shall preclude the projected cumulative amount of renewable energy credits to be delivered from all new photovoltaic projects from exceeding the projected cumulative amount of renewable energy credits to be delivered from all new wind projects in each delivery year and provided further that nothing in this item (iv) shall require the curtailment of an executed contract. The Agency shall update, on a quarterly basis, its projection of the renewable energy credits to be delivered from all projects in each delivery year. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the Agency may adjust the timing of procurement events conducted under this subparagraph (G). The long-term renewable resources procurement plan shall set forth the process by which the adjustments may be made.

(v) All procurements under this subparagraph

(G) shall comply with the geographic requirements in subparagraph (I) of this paragraph (1) and shall follow the procurement processes and procedures described in this Section and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act to the extent practicable, and these processes and procedures may be expedited to accommodate the schedule established by this subparagraph (G).

(H) The procurement of renewable energy resources

for a given delivery year shall be reduced as described in this subparagraph (H) if an alternative retail electric supplier meets the requirements described in this subparagraph (H).

(i) Within 45 days after June 1, 2017 (the

effective date of Public Act 99-906), an alternative retail electric supplier or its successor shall submit an informational filing to the Illinois Commerce Commission certifying that, as of December 31, 2015, the alternative retail electric supplier owned one or more electric generating facilities that generates renewable energy resources as defined in Section 1-10 of this Act, provided that such facilities are not powered by wind or photovoltaics, and the facilities generate one renewable energy credit for each megawatthour of energy produced from the facility.

The informational filing shall identify each

facility that was eligible to satisfy the alternative retail electric supplier's obligations under Section 16-115D of the Public Utilities Act as described in this item (i).

(ii) For a given delivery year, the alternative

retail electric supplier may elect to supply its retail customers with renewable energy credits from the facility or facilities described in item (i) of this subparagraph (H) that continue to be owned by the alternative retail electric supplier.

(iii) The alternative retail electric supplier

shall notify the Agency and the applicable utility, no later than February 28 of the year preceding the applicable delivery year or 15 days after June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906), whichever is later, of its election under item (ii) of this subparagraph (H) to supply renewable energy credits to retail customers of the utility. Such election shall identify the amount of renewable energy credits to be supplied by the alternative retail electric supplier to the utility's retail customers and the source of the renewable energy credits identified in the informational filing as described in item (i) of this subparagraph (H), subject to the following limitations:

For the delivery year beginning June 1, 2018,

the maximum amount of renewable energy credits to be supplied by an alternative retail electric supplier under this subparagraph (H) shall be 68% multiplied by 25% multiplied by 14.5% multiplied by the amount of metered electricity (megawatt-hours) delivered by the alternative retail electric supplier to Illinois retail customers during the delivery year ending May 31, 2016.

For delivery years beginning June 1, 2019 and

each year thereafter, the maximum amount of renewable energy credits to be supplied by an alternative retail electric supplier under this subparagraph (H) shall be 68% multiplied by 50% multiplied by 16% multiplied by the amount of metered electricity (megawatt-hours) delivered by the alternative retail electric supplier to Illinois retail customers during the delivery year ending May 31, 2016, provided that the 16% value shall increase by 1.5% each delivery year thereafter to 25% by the delivery year beginning June 1, 2025, and thereafter the 25% value shall apply to each delivery year.

For each delivery year, the total amount of

renewable energy credits supplied by all alternative retail electric suppliers under this subparagraph (H) shall not exceed 9% of the Illinois target renewable energy credit quantity. The Illinois target renewable energy credit quantity for the delivery year beginning June 1, 2018 is 14.5% multiplied by the total amount of metered electricity (megawatt-hours) delivered in the delivery year immediately preceding that delivery year, provided that the 14.5% shall increase by 1.5% each delivery year thereafter to 25% by the delivery year beginning June 1, 2025, and thereafter the 25% value shall apply to each delivery year.

If the requirements set forth in items (i)

through (iii) of this subparagraph (H) are met, the charges that would otherwise be applicable to the retail customers of the alternative retail electric supplier under paragraph (6) of this subsection (c) for the applicable delivery year shall be reduced by the ratio of the quantity of renewable energy credits supplied by the alternative retail electric supplier compared to that supplier's target renewable energy credit quantity. The supplier's target renewable energy credit quantity for the delivery year beginning June 1, 2018 is 14.5% multiplied by the total amount of metered electricity (megawatt-hours) delivered by the alternative retail supplier in that delivery year, provided that the 14.5% shall increase by 1.5% each delivery year thereafter to 25% by the delivery year beginning June 1, 2025, and thereafter the 25% value shall apply to each delivery year.

On or before April 1 of each year, the Agency

shall annually publish a report on its website that identifies the aggregate amount of renewable energy credits supplied by alternative retail electric suppliers under this subparagraph (H).

(I) The Agency shall design its long-term

renewable energy procurement plan to maximize the State's interest in the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, including but not limited to minimizing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate matter and other pollution that adversely affects public health in this State, increasing fuel and resource diversity in this State, enhancing the reliability and resiliency of the electricity distribution system in this State, meeting goals to limit carbon dioxide emissions under federal or State law, and contributing to a cleaner and healthier environment for the citizens of this State. In order to further these legislative purposes, renewable energy credits shall be eligible to be counted toward the renewable energy requirements of this subsection (c) if they are generated from facilities located in this State. The Agency may qualify renewable energy credits from facilities located in states adjacent to Illinois if the generator demonstrates and the Agency determines that the operation of such facility or facilities will help promote the State's interest in the health, safety, and welfare of its residents based on the public interest criteria described above. To ensure that the public interest criteria are applied to the procurement and given full effect, the Agency's long-term procurement plan shall describe in detail how each public interest factor shall be considered and weighted for facilities located in states adjacent to Illinois.

(J) In order to promote the competitive

development of renewable energy resources in furtherance of the State's interest in the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, renewable energy credits shall not be eligible to be counted toward the renewable energy requirements of this subsection (c) if they are sourced from a generating unit whose costs were being recovered through rates regulated by this State or any other state or states on or after January 1, 2017. Each contract executed to purchase renewable energy credits under this subsection (c) shall provide for the contract's termination if the costs of the generating unit supplying the renewable energy credits subsequently begin to be recovered through rates regulated by this State or any other state or states; and each contract shall further provide that, in that event, the supplier of the credits must return 110% of all payments received under the contract. Amounts returned under the requirements of this subparagraph (J) shall be retained by the utility and all of these amounts shall be used for the procurement of additional renewable energy credits from new wind or new photovoltaic resources as defined in this subsection (c). The long-term plan shall provide that these renewable energy credits shall be procured in the next procurement event.

Notwithstanding the limitations of this subparagraph

(J), renewable energy credits sourced from generating units that are constructed, purchased, owned, or leased by an electric utility as part of an approved project, program, or pilot under Section 1-56 of this Act shall be eligible to be counted toward the renewable energy requirements of this subsection (c), regardless of how the costs of these units are recovered.

(K) The long-term renewable resources procurement

plan developed by the Agency in accordance with subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (1) shall include an Adjustable Block program for the procurement of renewable energy credits from new photovoltaic projects that are distributed renewable energy generation devices or new photovoltaic community renewable generation projects. The Adjustable Block program shall be designed to provide a transparent schedule of prices and quantities to enable the photovoltaic market to scale up and for renewable energy credit prices to adjust at a predictable rate over time. The prices set by the Adjustable Block program can be reflected as a set value or as the product of a formula.

The Adjustable Block program shall include for each

category of eligible projects: a schedule of standard block purchase prices to be offered; a series of steps, with associated nameplate capacity and purchase prices that adjust from step to step; and automatic opening of the next step as soon as the nameplate capacity and available purchase prices for an open step are fully committed or reserved. Only projects energized on or after June 1, 2017 shall be eligible for the Adjustable Block program. For each block group the Agency shall determine the number of blocks, the amount of generation capacity in each block, and the purchase price for each block, provided that the purchase price provided and the total amount of generation in all blocks for all block groups shall be sufficient to meet the goals in this subsection (c). The Agency may periodically review its prior decisions establishing the number of blocks, the amount of generation capacity in each block, and the purchase price for each block, and may propose, on an expedited basis, changes to these previously set values, including but not limited to redistributing these amounts and the available funds as necessary and appropriate, subject to Commission approval as part of the periodic plan revision process described in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. The Agency may define different block sizes, purchase prices, or other distinct terms and conditions for projects located in different utility service territories if the Agency deems it necessary to meet the goals in this subsection (c).

The Adjustable Block program shall include at least

the following block groups in at least the following amounts, which may be adjusted upon review by the Agency and approval by the Commission as described in this subparagraph (K):

(i) At least 25% from distributed renewable

energy generation devices with a nameplate capacity of no more than 10 kilowatts.

(ii) At least 25% from distributed renewable

energy generation devices with a nameplate capacity of more than 10 kilowatts and no more than 2,000 kilowatts. The Agency may create sub-categories within this category to account for the differences between projects for small commercial customers, large commercial customers, and public or non-profit customers.

(iii) At least 25% from photovoltaic community

renewable generation projects.

(iv) The remaining 25% shall be allocated as

specified by the Agency in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan.

The Adjustable Block program shall be designed to

ensure that renewable energy credits are procured from photovoltaic distributed renewable energy generation devices and new photovoltaic community renewable energy generation projects in diverse locations and are not concentrated in a few geographic areas.

(L) The procurement of photovoltaic renewable

energy credits under items (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) shall be subject to the following contract and payment terms:

(i) The Agency shall procure contracts of at

least 15 years in length.

(ii) For those renewable energy credits that

qualify and are procured under item (i) of subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1), the renewable energy credit purchase price shall be paid in full by the contracting utilities at the time that the facility producing the renewable energy credits is interconnected at the distribution system level of the utility and energized. The electric utility shall receive and retire all renewable energy credits generated by the project for the first 15 years of operation.

(iii) For those renewable energy credits

that qualify and are procured under item (ii) and (iii) of subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) and any additional categories of distributed generation included in the long-term renewable resources procurement plan and approved by the Commission, 20 percent of the renewable energy credit purchase price shall be paid by the contracting utilities at the time that the facility producing the renewable energy credits is interconnected at the distribution system level of the utility and energized. The remaining portion shall be paid ratably over the subsequent 4-year period. The electric utility shall receive and retire all renewable energy credits generated by the project for the first 15 years of operation.

(iv) Each contract shall include provisions to

ensure the delivery of the renewable energy credits for the full term of the contract.

(v) The utility shall be the counterparty to the

contracts executed under this subparagraph (L) that are approved by the Commission under the process described in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. No contract shall be executed for an amount that is less than one renewable energy credit per year.

(vi) If, at any time, approved applications for

the Adjustable Block program exceed funds collected by the electric utility or would cause the Agency to exceed the limitation described in subparagraph (E) of this paragraph (1) on the amount of renewable energy resources that may be procured, then the Agency shall consider future uncommitted funds to be reserved for these contracts on a first-come, first-served basis, with the delivery of renewable energy credits required beginning at the time that the reserved funds become available.

(vii) Nothing in this Section shall require

the utility to advance any payment or pay any amounts that exceed the actual amount of revenues collected by the utility under paragraph (6) of this subsection (c) and subsection (k) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act, and contracts executed under this Section shall expressly incorporate this limitation.

(M) The Agency shall be authorized to retain one or

more experts or expert consulting firms to develop, administer, implement, operate, and evaluate the Adjustable Block program described in subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1), and the Agency shall retain the consultant or consultants in the same manner, to the extent practicable, as the Agency retains others to administer provisions of this Act, including, but not limited to, the procurement administrator. The selection of experts and expert consulting firms and the procurement process described in this subparagraph (M) are exempt from the requirements of Section 20-10 of the Illinois Procurement Code, under Section 20-10 of that Code. The Agency shall strive to minimize administrative expenses in the implementation of the Adjustable Block program.

The Agency and its consultant or consultants shall

monitor block activity, share program activity with stakeholders and conduct regularly scheduled meetings to discuss program activity and market conditions. If necessary, the Agency may make prospective administrative adjustments to the Adjustable Block program design, such as redistributing available funds or making adjustments to purchase prices as necessary to achieve the goals of this subsection (c). Program modifications to any price, capacity block, or other program element that do not deviate from the Commission's approved value by more than 25% shall take effect immediately and are not subject to Commission review and approval. Program modifications to any price, capacity block, or other program element that deviate more than 25% from the Commission's approved value must be approved by the Commission as a long-term plan amendment under Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. The Agency shall consider stakeholder feedback when making adjustments to the Adjustable Block design and shall notify stakeholders in advance of any planned changes.

(N) The long-term renewable resources procurement

plan required by this subsection (c) shall include a community renewable generation program. The Agency shall establish the terms, conditions, and program requirements for community renewable generation projects with a goal to expand renewable energy generating facility access to a broader group of energy consumers, to ensure robust participation opportunities for residential and small commercial customers and those who cannot install renewable energy on their own properties. Any plan approved by the Commission shall allow subscriptions to community renewable generation projects to be portable and transferable. For purposes of this subparagraph (N), "portable" means that subscriptions may be retained by the subscriber even if the subscriber relocates or changes its address within the same utility service territory; and "transferable" means that a subscriber may assign or sell subscriptions to another person within the same utility service territory.

Electric utilities shall provide a monetary credit to

a subscriber's subsequent bill for service for the proportional output of a community renewable generation project attributable to that subscriber as specified in Section 16-107.5 of the Public Utilities Act.

The Agency shall purchase renewable energy credits

from subscribed shares of photovoltaic community renewable generation projects through the Adjustable Block program described in subparagraph (K) of this paragraph (1) or through the Illinois Solar for All Program described in Section 1-56 of this Act. The electric utility shall purchase any unsubscribed energy from community renewable generation projects that are Qualifying Facilities ("QF") under the electric utility's tariff for purchasing the output from QFs under Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act of 1978.

The owners of and any subscribers to a community

renewable generation project shall not be considered public utilities or alternative retail electricity suppliers under the Public Utilities Act solely as a result of their interest in or subscription to a community renewable generation project and shall not be required to become an alternative retail electric supplier by participating in a community renewable generation project with a public utility.

(O) For the delivery year beginning June 1, 2018, the

long-term renewable resources procurement plan required by this subsection (c) shall provide for the Agency to procure contracts to continue offering the Illinois Solar for All Program described in subsection (b) of Section 1-56 of this Act, and the contracts approved by the Commission shall be executed by the utilities that are subject to this subsection (c). The long-term renewable resources procurement plan shall allocate 5% of the funds available under the plan for the applicable delivery year, or $10,000,000 per delivery year, whichever is greater, to fund the programs, and the plan shall determine the amount of funding to be apportioned to the programs identified in subsection (b) of Section 1-56 of this Act; provided that for the delivery years beginning June 1, 2017, June 1, 2021, and June 1, 2025, the long-term renewable resources procurement plan shall allocate 10% of the funds available under the plan for the applicable delivery year, or $20,000,000 per delivery year, whichever is greater, and $10,000,000 of such funds in such year shall be used by an electric utility that serves more than 3,000,000 retail customers in the State to implement a Commission-approved plan under Section 16-108.12 of the Public Utilities Act. In making the determinations required under this subparagraph (O), the Commission shall consider the experience and performance under the programs and any evaluation reports. The Commission shall also provide for an independent evaluation of those programs on a periodic basis that are funded under this subparagraph (O).

(2) (Blank).
(3) (Blank).
(4) The electric utility shall retire all renewable

energy credits used to comply with the standard.

(5) Beginning with the 2010 delivery year and ending

June 1, 2017, an electric utility subject to this subsection (c) shall apply the lesser of the maximum alternative compliance payment rate or the most recent estimated alternative compliance payment rate for its service territory for the corresponding compliance period, established pursuant to subsection (d) of Section 16-115D of the Public Utilities Act to its retail customers that take service pursuant to the electric utility's hourly pricing tariff or tariffs. The electric utility shall retain all amounts collected as a result of the application of the alternative compliance payment rate or rates to such customers, and, beginning in 2011, the utility shall include in the information provided under item (1) of subsection (d) of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act the amounts collected under the alternative compliance payment rate or rates for the prior year ending May 31. Notwithstanding any limitation on the procurement of renewable energy resources imposed by item (2) of this subsection (c), the Agency shall increase its spending on the purchase of renewable energy resources to be procured by the electric utility for the next plan year by an amount equal to the amounts collected by the utility under the alternative compliance payment rate or rates in the prior year ending May 31.

(6) The electric utility shall be entitled to

recover all of its costs associated with the procurement of renewable energy credits under plans approved under this Section and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act. These costs shall include associated reasonable expenses for implementing the procurement programs, including, but not limited to, the costs of administering and evaluating the Adjustable Block program, through an automatic adjustment clause tariff in accordance with subsection (k) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act.

(7) Renewable energy credits procured from new

photovoltaic projects or new distributed renewable energy generation devices under this Section after June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906) must be procured from devices installed by a qualified person in compliance with the requirements of Section 16-128A of the Public Utilities Act and any rules or regulations adopted thereunder.

In meeting the renewable energy requirements of this

subsection (c), to the extent feasible and consistent with State and federal law, the renewable energy credit procurements, Adjustable Block solar program, and community renewable generation program shall provide employment opportunities for all segments of the population and workforce, including minority-owned and female-owned business enterprises, and shall not, consistent with State and federal law, discriminate based on race or socioeconomic status.

(d) Clean coal portfolio standard.
(1) The procurement plans shall include electricity

generated using clean coal. Each utility shall enter into one or more sourcing agreements with the initial clean coal facility, as provided in paragraph (3) of this subsection (d), covering electricity generated by the initial clean coal facility representing at least 5% of each utility's total supply to serve the load of eligible retail customers in 2015 and each year thereafter, as described in paragraph (3) of this subsection (d), subject to the limits specified in paragraph (2) of this subsection (d). It is the goal of the State that by January 1, 2025, 25% of the electricity used in the State shall be generated by cost-effective clean coal facilities. For purposes of this subsection (d), "cost-effective" means that the expenditures pursuant to such sourcing agreements do not cause the limit stated in paragraph (2) of this subsection (d) to be exceeded and do not exceed cost-based benchmarks, which shall be developed to assess all expenditures pursuant to such sourcing agreements covering electricity generated by clean coal facilities, other than the initial clean coal facility, by the procurement administrator, in consultation with the Commission staff, Agency staff, and the procurement monitor and shall be subject to Commission review and approval.

A utility party to a sourcing agreement shall

immediately retire any emission credits that it receives in connection with the electricity covered by such agreement.

Utilities shall maintain adequate records documenting

the purchases under the sourcing agreement to comply with this subsection (d) and shall file an accounting with the load forecast that must be filed with the Agency by July 15 of each year, in accordance with subsection (d) of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.

A utility shall be deemed to have complied with the

clean coal portfolio standard specified in this subsection (d) if the utility enters into a sourcing agreement as required by this subsection (d).

(2) For purposes of this subsection (d), the

required execution of sourcing agreements with the initial clean coal facility for a particular year shall be measured as a percentage of the actual amount of electricity (megawatt-hours) supplied by the electric utility to eligible retail customers in the planning year ending immediately prior to the agreement's execution. For purposes of this subsection (d), the amount paid per kilowatthour means the total amount paid for electric service expressed on a per kilowatthour basis. For purposes of this subsection (d), the total amount paid for electric service includes without limitation amounts paid for supply, transmission, distribution, surcharges and add-on taxes.

Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection

(d), the total amount paid under sourcing agreements with clean coal facilities pursuant to the procurement plan for any given year shall be reduced by an amount necessary to limit the annual estimated average net increase due to the costs of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to:

(A) in 2010, no more than 0.5% of the amount paid

per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009;

(B) in 2011, the greater of an additional 0.5% of

the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2010 or 1% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009;

(C) in 2012, the greater of an additional 0.5% of

the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2011 or 1.5% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009;

(D) in 2013, the greater of an additional 0.5% of

the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2012 or 2% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009; and

(E) thereafter, the total amount paid under

sourcing agreements with clean coal facilities pursuant to the procurement plan for any single year shall be reduced by an amount necessary to limit the estimated average net increase due to the cost of these resources included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than the greater of (i) 2.015% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by those customers during the year ending May 31, 2009 or (ii) the incremental amount per kilowatthour paid for these resources in 2013. These requirements may be altered only as provided by statute.

No later than June 30, 2015, the Commission shall

review the limitation on the total amount paid under sourcing agreements, if any, with clean coal facilities pursuant to this subsection (d) and report to the General Assembly its findings as to whether that limitation unduly constrains the amount of electricity generated by cost-effective clean coal facilities that is covered by sourcing agreements.

(3) Initial clean coal facility. In order to

promote development of clean coal facilities in Illinois, each electric utility subject to this Section shall execute a sourcing agreement to source electricity from a proposed clean coal facility in Illinois (the "initial clean coal facility") that will have a nameplate capacity of at least 500 MW when commercial operation commences, that has a final Clean Air Act permit on June 1, 2009 (the effective date of Public Act 95-1027), and that will meet the definition of clean coal facility in Section 1-10 of this Act when commercial operation commences. The sourcing agreements with this initial clean coal facility shall be subject to both approval of the initial clean coal facility by the General Assembly and satisfaction of the requirements of paragraph (4) of this subsection (d) and shall be executed within 90 days after any such approval by the General Assembly. The Agency and the Commission shall have authority to inspect all books and records associated with the initial clean coal facility during the term of such a sourcing agreement. A utility's sourcing agreement for electricity produced by the initial clean coal facility shall include:

(A) a formula contractual price (the "contract

price") approved pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection (d), which shall:

(i) be determined using a cost of service

methodology employing either a level or deferred capital recovery component, based on a capital structure consisting of 45% equity and 55% debt, and a return on equity as may be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which in any case may not exceed the lower of 11.5% or the rate of return approved by the General Assembly pursuant to paragraph (4) of this subsection (d); and

(ii) provide that all miscellaneous net

revenue, including but not limited to net revenue from the sale of emission allowances, if any, substitute natural gas, if any, grants or other support provided by the State of Illinois or the United States Government, firm transmission rights, if any, by-products produced by the facility, energy or capacity derived from the facility and not covered by a sourcing agreement pursuant to paragraph (3) of this subsection (d) or item (5) of subsection (d) of Section 16-115 of the Public Utilities Act, whether generated from the synthesis gas derived from coal, from SNG, or from natural gas, shall be credited against the revenue requirement for this initial clean coal facility;

(B) power purchase provisions, which shall:
(i) provide that the utility party to such

sourcing agreement shall pay the contract price for electricity delivered under such sourcing agreement;

(ii) require delivery of electricity to the

regional transmission organization market of the utility that is party to such sourcing agreement;

(iii) require the utility party to such

sourcing agreement to buy from the initial clean coal facility in each hour an amount of energy equal to all clean coal energy made available from the initial clean coal facility during such hour times a fraction, the numerator of which is such utility's retail market sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the State during the prior calendar month and the denominator of which is the total retail market sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the State by utilities during such prior month and the sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the State by alternative retail electric suppliers during such prior month that are subject to the requirements of this subsection (d) and paragraph (5) of subsection (d) of Section 16-115 of the Public Utilities Act, provided that the amount purchased by the utility in any year will be limited by paragraph (2) of this subsection (d); and

(iv) be considered pre-existing contracts in

such utility's procurement plans for eligible retail customers;

(C) contract for differences provisions, which

shall:

(i) require the utility party to such

sourcing agreement to contract with the initial clean coal facility in each hour with respect to an amount of energy equal to all clean coal energy made available from the initial clean coal facility during such hour times a fraction, the numerator of which is such utility's retail market sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the utility's service territory in the State during the prior calendar month and the denominator of which is the total retail market sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the State by utilities during such prior month and the sales of electricity (expressed in kilowatthours sold) in the State by alternative retail electric suppliers during such prior month that are subject to the requirements of this subsection (d) and paragraph (5) of subsection (d) of Section 16-115 of the Public Utilities Act, provided that the amount paid by the utility in any year will be limited by paragraph (2) of this subsection (d);

(ii) provide that the utility's payment

obligation in respect of the quantity of electricity determined pursuant to the preceding clause (i) shall be limited to an amount equal to (1) the difference between the contract price determined pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (d) and the day-ahead price for electricity delivered to the regional transmission organization market of the utility that is party to such sourcing agreement (or any successor delivery point at which such utility's supply obligations are financially settled on an hourly basis) (the "reference price") on the day preceding the day on which the electricity is delivered to the initial clean coal facility busbar, multiplied by (2) the quantity of electricity determined pursuant to the preceding clause (i); and

(iii) not require the utility to take

physical delivery of the electricity produced by the facility;

(D) general provisions, which shall:
(i) specify a term of no more than 30 years,

commencing on the commercial operation date of the facility;

(ii) provide that utilities shall maintain

adequate records documenting purchases under the sourcing agreements entered into to comply with this subsection (d) and shall file an accounting with the load forecast that must be filed with the Agency by July 15 of each year, in accordance with subsection (d) of Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act;

(iii) provide that all costs associated with

the initial clean coal facility will be periodically reported to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and to purchasers in accordance with applicable laws governing cost-based wholesale power contracts;

(iv) permit the Illinois Power Agency to

assume ownership of the initial clean coal facility, without monetary consideration and otherwise on reasonable terms acceptable to the Agency, if the Agency so requests no less than 3 years prior to the end of the stated contract term;

(v) require the owner of the initial clean

coal facility to provide documentation to the Commission each year, starting in the facility's first year of commercial operation, accurately reporting the quantity of carbon emissions from the facility that have been captured and sequestered and report any quantities of carbon released from the site or sites at which carbon emissions were sequestered in prior years, based on continuous monitoring of such sites. If, in any year after the first year of commercial operation, the owner of the facility fails to demonstrate that the initial clean coal facility captured and sequestered at least 50% of the total carbon emissions that the facility would otherwise emit or that sequestration of emissions from prior years has failed, resulting in the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, the owner of the facility must offset excess emissions. Any such carbon offsets must be permanent, additional, verifiable, real, located within the State of Illinois, and legally and practicably enforceable. The cost of such offsets for the facility that are not recoverable shall not exceed $15 million in any given year. No costs of any such purchases of carbon offsets may be recovered from a utility or its customers. All carbon offsets purchased for this purpose and any carbon emission credits associated with sequestration of carbon from the facility must be permanently retired. The initial clean coal facility shall not forfeit its designation as a clean coal facility if the facility fails to fully comply with the applicable carbon sequestration requirements in any given year, provided the requisite offsets are purchased. However, the Attorney General, on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois, may specifically enforce the facility's sequestration requirement and the other terms of this contract provision. Compliance with the sequestration requirements and offset purchase requirements specified in paragraph (3) of this subsection (d) shall be reviewed annually by an independent expert retained by the owner of the initial clean coal facility, with the advance written approval of the Attorney General. The Commission may, in the course of the review specified in item (vii), reduce the allowable return on equity for the facility if the facility willfully fails to comply with the carbon capture and sequestration requirements set forth in this item (v);

(vi) include limits on, and accordingly

provide for modification of, the amount the utility is required to source under the sourcing agreement consistent with paragraph (2) of this subsection (d);

(vii) require Commission review: (1) to

determine the justness, reasonableness, and prudence of the inputs to the formula referenced in subparagraphs (A)(i) through (A)(iii) of paragraph (3) of this subsection (d), prior to an adjustment in those inputs including, without limitation, the capital structure and return on equity, fuel costs, and other operations and maintenance costs and (2) to approve the costs to be passed through to customers under the sourcing agreement by which the utility satisfies its statutory obligations. Commission review shall occur no less than every 3 years, regardless of whether any adjustments have been proposed, and shall be completed within 9 months;

(viii) limit the utility's obligation to such

amount as the utility is allowed to recover through tariffs filed with the Commission, provided that neither the clean coal facility nor the utility waives any right to assert federal pre-emption or any other argument in response to a purported disallowance of recovery costs;

(ix) limit the utility's or alternative

retail electric supplier's obligation to incur any liability until such time as the facility is in commercial operation and generating power and energy and such power and energy is being delivered to the facility busbar;

(x) provide that the owner or owners of the

initial clean coal facility, which is the counterparty to such sourcing agreement, shall have the right from time to time to elect whether the obligations of the utility party thereto shall be governed by the power purchase provisions or the contract for differences provisions;

(xi) append documentation showing that the

formula rate and contract, insofar as they relate to the power purchase provisions, have been approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act;

(xii) provide that any changes to the terms

of the contract, insofar as such changes relate to the power purchase provisions, are subject to review under the public interest standard applied by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission pursuant to Sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power Act; and

(xiii) conform with customary lender

requirements in power purchase agreements used as the basis for financing non-utility generators.

(4) Effective date of sourcing agreements with the

initial clean coal facility. Any proposed sourcing agreement with the initial clean coal facility shall not become effective unless the following reports are prepared and submitted and authorizations and approvals obtained:

(i) Facility cost report. The owner of the

initial clean coal facility shall submit to the Commission, the Agency, and the General Assembly a front-end engineering and design study, a facility cost report, method of financing (including but not limited to structure and associated costs), and an operating and maintenance cost quote for the facility (collectively "facility cost report"), which shall be prepared in accordance with the requirements of this paragraph (4) of subsection (d) of this Section, and shall provide the Commission and the Agency access to the work papers, relied upon documents, and any other backup documentation related to the facility cost report.

(ii) Commission report. Within 6 months

following receipt of the facility cost report, the Commission, in consultation with the Agency, shall submit a report to the General Assembly setting forth its analysis of the facility cost report. Such report shall include, but not be limited to, a comparison of the costs associated with electricity generated by the initial clean coal facility to the costs associated with electricity generated by other types of generation facilities, an analysis of the rate impacts on residential and small business customers over the life of the sourcing agreements, and an analysis of the likelihood that the initial clean coal facility will commence commercial operation by and be delivering power to the facility's busbar by 2016. To assist in the preparation of its report, the Commission, in consultation with the Agency, may hire one or more experts or consultants, the costs of which shall be paid for by the owner of the initial clean coal facility. The Commission and Agency may begin the process of selecting such experts or consultants prior to receipt of the facility cost report.

(iii) General Assembly approval. The proposed

sourcing agreements shall not take effect unless, based on the facility cost report and the Commission's report, the General Assembly enacts authorizing legislation approving (A) the projected price, stated in cents per kilowatthour, to be charged for electricity generated by the initial clean coal facility, (B) the projected impact on residential and small business customers' bills over the life of the sourcing agreements, and (C) the maximum allowable return on equity for the project; and

(iv) Commission review. If the General Assembly

enacts authorizing legislation pursuant to subparagraph (iii) approving a sourcing agreement, the Commission shall, within 90 days of such enactment, complete a review of such sourcing agreement. During such time period, the Commission shall implement any directive of the General Assembly, resolve any disputes between the parties to the sourcing agreement concerning the terms of such agreement, approve the form of such agreement, and issue an order finding that the sourcing agreement is prudent and reasonable.

The facility cost report shall be prepared as

follows:

(A) The facility cost report shall be prepared

by duly licensed engineering and construction firms detailing the estimated capital costs payable to one or more contractors or suppliers for the engineering, procurement and construction of the components comprising the initial clean coal facility and the estimated costs of operation and maintenance of the facility. The facility cost report shall include:

(i) an estimate of the capital cost of the

core plant based on one or more front end engineering and design studies for the gasification island and related facilities. The core plant shall include all civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, control, and safety systems.

(ii) an estimate of the capital cost of the

balance of the plant, including any capital costs associated with sequestration of carbon dioxide emissions and all interconnects and interfaces required to operate the facility, such as transmission of electricity, construction or backfeed power supply, pipelines to transport substitute natural gas or carbon dioxide, potable water supply, natural gas supply, water supply, water discharge, landfill, access roads, and coal delivery.

The quoted construction costs shall be expressed

in nominal dollars as of the date that the quote is prepared and shall include capitalized financing costs during construction, taxes, insurance, and other owner's costs, and an assumed escalation in materials and labor beyond the date as of which the construction cost quote is expressed.

(B) The front end engineering and design study

for the gasification island and the cost study for the balance of plant shall include sufficient design work to permit quantification of major categories of materials, commodities and labor hours, and receipt of quotes from vendors of major equipment required to construct and operate the clean coal facility.

(C) The facility cost report shall also include

an operating and maintenance cost quote that will provide the estimated cost of delivered fuel, personnel, maintenance contracts, chemicals, catalysts, consumables, spares, and other fixed and variable operations and maintenance costs. The delivered fuel cost estimate will be provided by a recognized third party expert or experts in the fuel and transportation industries. The balance of the operating and maintenance cost quote, excluding delivered fuel costs, will be developed based on the inputs provided by duly licensed engineering and construction firms performing the construction cost quote, potential vendors under long-term service agreements and plant operating agreements, or recognized third party plant operator or operators.

The operating and maintenance cost quote

(including the cost of the front end engineering and design study) shall be expressed in nominal dollars as of the date that the quote is prepared and shall include taxes, insurance, and other owner's costs, and an assumed escalation in materials and labor beyond the date as of which the operating and maintenance cost quote is expressed.

(D) The facility cost report shall also include

an analysis of the initial clean coal facility's ability to deliver power and energy into the applicable regional transmission organization markets and an analysis of the expected capacity factor for the initial clean coal facility.

(E) Amounts paid to third parties unrelated to

the owner or owners of the initial clean coal facility to prepare the core plant construction cost quote, including the front end engineering and design study, and the operating and maintenance cost quote will be reimbursed through Coal Development Bonds.

(5) Re-powering and retrofitting coal-fired power

plants previously owned by Illinois utilities to qualify as clean coal facilities. During the 2009 procurement planning process and thereafter, the Agency and the Commission shall consider sourcing agreements covering electricity generated by power plants that were previously owned by Illinois utilities and that have been or will be converted into clean coal facilities, as defined by Section 1-10 of this Act. Pursuant to such procurement planning process, the owners of such facilities may propose to the Agency sourcing agreements with utilities and alternative retail electric suppliers required to comply with subsection (d) of this Section and item (5) of subsection (d) of Section 16-115 of the Public Utilities Act, covering electricity generated by such facilities. In the case of sourcing agreements that are power purchase agreements, the contract price for electricity sales shall be established on a cost of service basis. In the case of sourcing agreements that are contracts for differences, the contract price from which the reference price is subtracted shall be established on a cost of service basis. The Agency and the Commission may approve any such utility sourcing agreements that do not exceed cost-based benchmarks developed by the procurement administrator, in consultation with the Commission staff, Agency staff and the procurement monitor, subject to Commission review and approval. The Commission shall have authority to inspect all books and records associated with these clean coal facilities during the term of any such contract.

(6) Costs incurred under this subsection (d) or

pursuant to a contract entered into under this subsection (d) shall be deemed prudently incurred and reasonable in amount and the electric utility shall be entitled to full cost recovery pursuant to the tariffs filed with the Commission.

(d-5) Zero emission standard.
(1) Beginning with the delivery year commencing

on June 1, 2017, the Agency shall, for electric utilities that serve at least 100,000 retail customers in this State, procure contracts with zero emission facilities that are reasonably capable of generating cost-effective zero emission credits in an amount approximately equal to 16% of the actual amount of electricity delivered by each electric utility to retail customers in the State during calendar year 2014. For an electric utility serving fewer than 100,000 retail customers in this State that requested, under Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, that the Agency procure power and energy for all or a portion of the utility's Illinois load for the delivery year commencing June 1, 2016, the Agency shall procure contracts with zero emission facilities that are reasonably capable of generating cost-effective zero emission credits in an amount approximately equal to 16% of the portion of power and energy to be procured by the Agency for the utility. The duration of the contracts procured under this subsection (d-5) shall be for a term of 10 years ending May 31, 2027. The quantity of zero emission credits to be procured under the contracts shall be all of the zero emission credits generated by the zero emission facility in each delivery year; however, if the zero emission facility is owned by more than one entity, then the quantity of zero emission credits to be procured under the contracts shall be the amount of zero emission credits that are generated from the portion of the zero emission facility that is owned by the winning supplier.

The 16% value identified in this paragraph (1) is the

average of the percentage targets in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act for the 5 delivery years beginning June 1, 2017.

The procurement process shall be subject to the

following provisions:

(A) Those zero emission facilities that intend

to participate in the procurement shall submit to the Agency the following eligibility information for each zero emission facility on or before the date established by the Agency:

(i) the in-service date and remaining

useful life of the zero emission facility;

(ii) the amount of power generated

annually for each of the years 2005 through 2015, and the projected zero emission credits to be generated over the remaining useful life of the zero emission facility, which shall be used to determine the capability of each facility;

(iii) the annual zero emission facility

cost projections, expressed on a per megawatthour basis, over the next 6 delivery years, which shall include the following: operation and maintenance expenses; fully allocated overhead costs, which shall be allocated using the methodology developed by the Institute for Nuclear Power Operations; fuel expenditures; non-fuel capital expenditures; spent fuel expenditures; a return on working capital; the cost of operational and market risks that could be avoided by ceasing operation; and any other costs necessary for continued operations, provided that "necessary" means, for purposes of this item (iii), that the costs could reasonably be avoided only by ceasing operations of the zero emission facility; and

(iv) a commitment to continue operating,

for the duration of the contract or contracts executed under the procurement held under this subsection (d-5), the zero emission facility that produces the zero emission credits to be procured in the procurement.

The information described in item (iii) of this

subparagraph (A) may be submitted on a confidential basis and shall be treated and maintained by the Agency, the procurement administrator, and the Commission as confidential and proprietary and exempt from disclosure under subparagraphs (a) and (g) of paragraph (1) of Section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act. The Office of Attorney General shall have access to, and maintain the confidentiality of, such information pursuant to Section 6.5 of the Attorney General Act.

(B) The price for each zero emission credit

procured under this subsection (d-5) for each delivery year shall be in an amount that equals the Social Cost of Carbon, expressed on a price per megawatthour basis. However, to ensure that the procurement remains affordable to retail customers in this State if electricity prices increase, the price in an applicable delivery year shall be reduced below the Social Cost of Carbon by the amount ("Price Adjustment") by which the market price index for the applicable delivery year exceeds the baseline market price index for the consecutive 12-month period ending May 31, 2016. If the Price Adjustment is greater than or equal to the Social Cost of Carbon in an applicable delivery year, then no payments shall be due in that delivery year. The components of this calculation are defined as follows:

(i) Social Cost of Carbon: The Social

Cost of Carbon is $16.50 per megawatthour, which is based on the U.S. Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Carbon's price in the August 2016 Technical Update using a 3% discount rate, adjusted for inflation for each year of the program. Beginning with the delivery year commencing June 1, 2023, the price per megawatthour shall increase by $1 per megawatthour, and continue to increase by an additional $1 per megawatthour each delivery year thereafter.

(ii) Baseline market price index: The

baseline market price index for the consecutive 12-month period ending May 31, 2016 is $31.40 per megawatthour, which is based on the sum of (aa) the average day-ahead energy price across all hours of such 12-month period at the PJM Interconnection LLC Northern Illinois Hub, (bb) 50% multiplied by the Base Residual Auction, or its successor, capacity price for the rest of the RTO zone group determined by PJM Interconnection LLC, divided by 24 hours per day, and (cc) 50% multiplied by the Planning Resource Auction, or its successor, capacity price for Zone 4 determined by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., divided by 24 hours per day.

(iii) Market price index: The market

price index for a delivery year shall be the sum of projected energy prices and projected capacity prices determined as follows:

(aa) Projected energy prices: the

projected energy prices for the applicable delivery year shall be calculated once for the year using the forward market price for the PJM Interconnection, LLC Northern Illinois Hub. The forward market price shall be calculated as follows: the energy forward prices for each month of the applicable delivery year averaged for each trade date during the calendar year immediately preceding that delivery year to produce a single energy forward price for the delivery year. The forward market price calculation shall use data published by the Intercontinental Exchange, or its successor.

(bb) Projected capacity prices:
(I) For the delivery years

commencing June 1, 2017, June 1, 2018, and June 1, 2019, the projected capacity price shall be equal to the sum of (1) 50% multiplied by the Base Residual Auction, or its successor, price for the rest of the RTO zone group as determined by PJM Interconnection LLC, divided by 24 hours per day and, (2) 50% multiplied by the resource auction price determined in the resource auction administered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., in which the largest percentage of load cleared for Local Resource Zone 4, divided by 24 hours per day, and where such price is determined by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.

(II) For the delivery year

commencing June 1, 2020, and each year thereafter, the projected capacity price shall be equal to the sum of (1) 50% multiplied by the Base Residual Auction, or its successor, price for the ComEd zone as determined by PJM Interconnection LLC, divided by 24 hours per day, and (2) 50% multiplied by the resource auction price determined in the resource auction administered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., in which the largest percentage of load cleared for Local Resource Zone 4, divided by 24 hours per day, and where such price is determined by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc.

For purposes of this subsection (d-5):
"Rest of the RTO" and "ComEd Zone" shall have

the meaning ascribed to them by PJM Interconnection, LLC.

"RTO" means regional transmission

organization.

(C) No later than 45 days after June 1, 2017

(the effective date of Public Act 99-906), the Agency shall publish its proposed zero emission standard procurement plan. The plan shall be consistent with the provisions of this paragraph (1) and shall provide that winning bids shall be selected based on public interest criteria that include, but are not limited to, minimizing carbon dioxide emissions that result from electricity consumed in Illinois and minimizing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter emissions that adversely affect the citizens of this State. In particular, the selection of winning bids shall take into account the incremental environmental benefits resulting from the procurement, such as any existing environmental benefits that are preserved by the procurements held under Public Act 99-906 and would cease to exist if the procurements were not held, including the preservation of zero emission facilities. The plan shall also describe in detail how each public interest factor shall be considered and weighted in the bid selection process to ensure that the public interest criteria are applied to the procurement and given full effect.

For purposes of developing the plan, the Agency

shall consider any reports issued by a State agency, board, or commission under House Resolution 1146 of the 98th General Assembly and paragraph (4) of subsection (d) of Section 1-75 of this Act, as well as publicly available analyses and studies performed by or for regional transmission organizations that serve the State and their independent market monitors.

Upon publishing of the zero emission standard

procurement plan, copies of the plan shall be posted and made publicly available on the Agency's website. All interested parties shall have 10 days following the date of posting to provide comment to the Agency on the plan. All comments shall be posted to the Agency's website. Following the end of the comment period, but no more than 60 days later than June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906), the Agency shall revise the plan as necessary based on the comments received and file its zero emission standard procurement plan with the Commission.

If the Commission determines that the plan will

result in the procurement of cost-effective zero emission credits, then the Commission shall, after notice and hearing, but no later than 45 days after the Agency filed the plan, approve the plan or approve with modification. For purposes of this subsection (d-5), "cost effective" means the projected costs of procuring zero emission credits from zero emission facilities do not cause the limit stated in paragraph (2) of this subsection to be exceeded.

(C-5) As part of the Commission's review and

acceptance or rejection of the procurement results, the Commission shall, in its public notice of successful bidders:

(i) identify how the winning bids satisfy

the public interest criteria described in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (1) of minimizing carbon dioxide emissions that result from electricity consumed in Illinois and minimizing sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and particulate matter emissions that adversely affect the citizens of this State;

(ii) specifically address how the selection

of winning bids takes into account the incremental environmental benefits resulting from the procurement, including any existing environmental benefits that are preserved by the procurements held under Public Act 99-906 and would have ceased to exist if the procurements had not been held, such as the preservation of zero emission facilities;

(iii) quantify the environmental benefit of

preserving the resources identified in item (ii) of this subparagraph (C-5), including the following:

(aa) the value of avoided greenhouse gas

emissions measured as the product of the zero emission facilities' output over the contract term multiplied by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency eGrid subregion carbon dioxide emission rate and the U.S. Interagency Working Group on Social Cost of Carbon's price in the August 2016 Technical Update using a 3% discount rate, adjusted for inflation for each delivery year; and

(bb) the costs of replacement with other

zero carbon dioxide resources, including wind and photovoltaic, based upon the simple average of the following:

(I) the price, or if there is more

than one price, the average of the prices, paid for renewable energy credits from new utility-scale wind projects in the procurement events specified in item (i) of subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act; and

(II) the price, or if there is more

than one price, the average of the prices, paid for renewable energy credits from new utility-scale solar projects and brownfield site photovoltaic projects in the procurement events specified in item (ii) of subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) of subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act and, after January 1, 2015, renewable energy credits from photovoltaic distributed generation projects in procurement events held under subsection (c) of Section 1-75 of this Act.

Each utility shall enter into binding contractual

arrangements with the winning suppliers.

The procurement described in this subsection

(d-5), including, but not limited to, the execution of all contracts procured, shall be completed no later than May 10, 2017. Based on the effective date of Public Act 99-906, the Agency and Commission may, as appropriate, modify the various dates and timelines under this subparagraph and subparagraphs (C) and (D) of this paragraph (1). The procurement and plan approval processes required by this subsection (d-5) shall be conducted in conjunction with the procurement and plan approval processes required by subsection (c) of this Section and Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, to the extent practicable. Notwithstanding whether a procurement event is conducted under Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act, the Agency shall immediately initiate a procurement process on June 1, 2017 (the effective date of Public Act 99-906).

(D) Following the procurement event described

in this paragraph (1) and consistent with subparagraph (B) of this paragraph (1), the Agency shall calculate the payments to be made under each contract for the next delivery year based on the market price index for that delivery year. The Agency shall publish the payment calculations no later than May 25, 2017 and every May 25 thereafter.

(E) Notwithstanding the requirements of this

subsection (d-5), the contracts executed under this subsection (d-5) shall provide that the zero emission facility may, as applicable, suspend or terminate performance under the contracts in the following instances:

(i) A zero emission facility shall be

excused from its performance under the contract for any cause beyond the control of the resource, including, but not restricted to, acts of God, flood, drought, earthquake, storm, fire, lightning, epidemic, war, riot, civil disturbance or disobedience, labor dispute, labor or material shortage, sabotage, acts of public enemy, explosions, orders, regulations or restrictions imposed by governmental, military, or lawfully established civilian authorities, which, in any of the foregoing cases, by exercise of commercially reasonable efforts the zero emission facility could not reasonably have been expected to avoid, and which, by the exercise of commercially reasonable efforts, it has been unable to overcome. In such event, the zero emission facility shall be excused from performance for the duration of the event, including, but not limited to, delivery of zero emission credits, and no payment shall be due to the zero emission facility during the duration of the event.

(ii) A zero emission facility shall be

permitted to terminate the contract if legislation is enacted into law by the General Assembly that imposes or authorizes a new tax, special assessment, or fee on the generation of electricity, the ownership or leasehold of a generating unit, or the privilege or occupation of such generation, ownership, or leasehold of generation units by a zero emission facility. However, the provisions of this item (ii) do not apply to any generally applicable tax, special assessment or fee, or requirements imposed by federal law.

(iii) A zero emission facility shall be

permitted to terminate the contract in the event that the resource requires capital expenditures in excess of $40,000,000 that were neither known nor reasonably foreseeable at the time it executed the contract and that a prudent owner or operator of such resource would not undertake.

(iv) A zero emission facility shall be

permitted to terminate the contract in the event the Nuclear Regulatory Commission terminates the resource's license.

(F) If the zero emission facility elects to

terminate a contract under this subparagraph (E, of this paragraph (1), then the Commission shall reopen the docket in which the Commission approved the zero emission standard procurement plan under subparagraph (C) of this paragraph (1) and, after notice and hearing, enter an order acknowledging the contract termination election if such termination is consistent with the provisions of this subsection (d-5).

(2) For purposes of this subsection (d-5), the

amount paid per kilowatthour means the total amount paid for electric service expressed on a per kilowatthour basis. For purposes of this subsection (d-5), the total amount paid for electric service includes, without limitation, amounts paid for supply, transmission, distribution, surcharges, and add-on taxes.

Notwithstanding the requirements of this subsection

(d-5), the contracts executed under this subsection (d-5) shall provide that the total of zero emission credits procured under a procurement plan shall be subject to the limitations of this paragraph (2). For each delivery year, the contractual volume receiving payments in such year shall be reduced for all retail customers based on the amount necessary to limit the net increase that delivery year to the costs of those credits included in the amounts paid by eligible retail customers in connection with electric service to no more than 1.65% of the amount paid per kilowatthour by eligible retail customers during the year ending May 31, 2009. The result of this computation shall apply to and reduce the procurement for all retail customers, and all those customers shall pay the same single, uniform cents per kilowatthour charge under subsection (k) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act. To arrive at a maximum dollar amount of zero emission credits to be paid for the particular delivery year, the resulting per kilowatthour amount shall be applied to the actual amount of kilowatthours of electricity delivered by the electric utility in the delivery year immediately prior to the procurement, to all retail customers in its service territory. Unpaid contractual volume for any delivery year shall be paid in any subsequent delivery year in which such payments can be made without exceeding the amount specified in this paragraph (2). The calculations required by this paragraph (2) shall be made only once for each procurement plan year. Once the determination as to the amount of zero emission credits to be paid is made based on the calculations set forth in this paragraph (2), no subsequent rate impact determinations shall be made and no adjustments to those contract amounts shall be allowed. All costs incurred under those contracts and in implementing this subsection (d-5) shall be recovered by the electric utility as provided in this Section.

No later than June 30, 2019, the Commission shall

review the limitation on the amount of zero emission credits procured under this subsection (d-5) and report to the General Assembly its findings as to whether that limitation unduly constrains the procurement of cost-effective zero emission credits.

(3) Six years after the execution of a contract

under this subsection (d-5), the Agency shall determine whether the actual zero emission credit payments received by the supplier over the 6-year period exceed the Average ZEC Payment. In addition, at the end of the term of a contract executed under this subsection (d-5), or at the time, if any, a zero emission facility's contract is terminated under subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1) of this subsection (d-5), then the Agency shall determine whether the actual zero emission credit payments received by the supplier over the term of the contract exceed the Average ZEC Payment, after taking into account any amounts previously credited back to the utility under this paragraph (3). If the Agency determines that the actual zero emission credit payments received by the supplier over the relevant period exceed the Average ZEC Payment, then the supplier shall credit the difference back to the utility. The amount of the credit shall be remitted to the applicable electric utility no later than 120 days after the Agency's determination, which the utility shall reflect as a credit on its retail customer bills as soon as practicable; however, the credit remitted to the utility shall not exceed the total amount of payments received by the facility under its contract.

For purposes of this Section, the Average ZEC Payment

shall be calculated by multiplying the quantity of zero emission credits delivered under the contract times the average contract price. The average contract price shall be determined by subtracting the amount calculated under subparagraph (B) of this paragraph (3) from the amount calculated under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph (3), as follows:

(A) The average of the Social Cost of Carbon, as

defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection (d-5), during the term of the contract.

(B) The average of the market price indices, as

defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection (d-5), during the term of the contract, minus the baseline market price index, as defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection (d-5).

If the subtraction yields a negative number, then the

Average ZEC Payment shall be zero.

(4) Cost-effective zero emission credits procured

from zero emission facilities shall satisfy the applicable definitions set forth in Section 1-10 of this Act.

(5) The electric utility shall retire all zero

emission credits used to comply with the requirements of this subsection (d-5).

(6) Electric utilities shall be entitled to recover

all of the costs associated with the procurement of zero emission credits through an automatic adjustment clause tariff in accordance with subsection (k) and (m) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act, and the contracts executed under this subsection (d-5) shall provide that the utilities' payment obligations under such contracts shall be reduced if an adjustment is required under subsection (m) of Section 16-108 of the Public Utilities Act.

(7) This subsection (d-5) shall become inoperative on

January 1, 2028.

(e) The draft procurement plans are subject to public comment, as required by Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
(f) The Agency shall submit the final procurement plan to the Commission. The Agency shall revise a procurement plan if the Commission determines that it does not meet the standards set forth in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
(g) The Agency shall assess fees to each affected utility to recover the costs incurred in preparation of the annual procurement plan for the utility.
(h) The Agency shall assess fees to each bidder to recover the costs incurred in connection with a competitive procurement process.
(i) A renewable energy credit, carbon emission credit, or zero emission credit can only be used once to comply with a single portfolio or other standard as set forth in subsection (c), subsection (d), or subsection (d-5) of this Section, respectively. A renewable energy credit, carbon emission credit, or zero emission credit cannot be used to satisfy the requirements of more than one standard. If more than one type of credit is issued for the same megawatt hour of energy, only one credit can be used to satisfy the requirements of a single standard. After such use, the credit must be retired together with any other credits issued for the same megawatt hour of energy.
(Source: P.A. 99-536, eff. 7-8-16; 99-906, eff. 6-1-17; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-77)
Sec. 1-77. The Planning and Procurement Bureau; feedstock procurement administrator; qualified expert or expert consulting firm.
(a) The Planning and Procurement Bureau shall at least every 5 years beginning in 2015 develop feedstock procurement plans and conduct competitive feedstock procurement processes in accordance with the requirements of Section 1-78 of this Act.
(1) The Agency shall at least every 5 years beginning

in 2015 issue a request for qualifications for experts or expert consulting firms to develop the feedstock procurement plans in accordance with Section 1-78 of this Act. In order to qualify, an expert or expert consulting firm must have:

(A) direct previous experience assembling

large scale feedstock supply plans or portfolios for industrial customers;

(B) an advanced degree in economics,

mathematics, engineering, risk management, or a related area of study;

(C) ten years of experience in the energy

sector, including managing supply risk;

(D) expertise in wholesale feedstock markets,

which may be particularized to the specific type of feedstock to be purchased in that procurement event;

(E) expertise in credit protocols and

familiarity with contract protocols;

(F) adequate resources to perform and fulfill

the required functions and responsibilities; and

(G) the absence of a conflict of interest and

inappropriate bias for or against potential bidders or the affected clean coal SNG brownfield facility.

(2) The Agency shall at least every 5 years beginning

in 2015 issue a request for qualifications for a feedstock procurement administrator to conduct the competitive feedstock procurement processes in accordance with Section 1-78 of this Act. In order to qualify, an expert or expert consulting firm must have:

(A) direct previous experience administering

a large scale competitive feedstock procurement process;

(B) an advanced degree in economics,

mathematics, engineering, or a related area of study;

(C) ten years of experience in the energy

sector, including risk management experience;

(D) expertise in wholesale feedstock market

rules, which may be particularized to the specific type of feedstock to be purchased in that procurement event;

(E) expertise in credit and contract

protocols;

(F) adequate resources to perform and fulfill

the required functions and responsibilities; and

(G) the absence of a conflict of interest and

inappropriate bias for or against potential bidders or the affected clean coal SNG brownfield facility.

(3) The Agency shall provide the clean coal SNG

brownfield facility and other interested parties with the lists of qualified experts or expert consulting firms identified through the request for qualifications processes that are under consideration to develop the feedstock procurement plans and to serve as the feedstock procurement administrator. The Agency shall also provide the clean coal SNG brownfield facility and other interested parties with each qualified expert's or expert consulting firm's response to the request for qualifications. All information provided under this subparagraph (3) shall also be provided to the Commission. The Agency may provide by rule for fees associated with supplying the information to the clean coal SNG brownfield facility and other interested parties. The clean coal SNG brownfield facility and other interested parties must, within 5 business days after receiving the lists and information, notify the Agency in writing if they object to any experts or expert consulting firms on the lists. Objections shall be based on:

(A) failure to satisfy qualification

criteria;

(B) identification of a conflict of interest;

or

(C) evidence of inappropriate bias for or

against potential bidders or the clean coal SNG brownfield facility.

The Agency shall remove an expert or expert

consulting firm from the list within 10 days if there is a reasonable basis for an objection and provide the updated list to the clean coal SNG brownfield facility and other interested parties. If the Agency fails to remove an expert or expert consulting firm from a list, then an objecting party may seek review by the Commission within 5 days thereafter by filing a petition, and the Commission shall render a ruling on the petition within 10 days after the filing. There is no right of appeal of the Commission's ruling.

(4) The Agency shall, as needed, issue requests for

proposals to the qualified experts or expert consulting firms to develop a feedstock procurement plan for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility and to serve as feedstock procurement administrator.

(5) The Agency shall select an expert or expert

consulting firm to develop feedstock procurement plans based on the proposals submitted and shall award one-year contracts to those selected with an option for the Agency for a one-year renewal.

(6) The Agency shall select, with the approval of

the Commission, an expert or expert consulting firm to serve as feedstock procurement administrator based on the proposals submitted. If the Commission rejects the Agency's selection within 5 days after being notified of the Agency's selection, then the Agency shall submit another recommendation within 3 days after the Commission's rejection based on the proposals submitted. The Agency shall award at least a one-year contract to the expert or expert consulting firm selected with the Commission's approval with an option for the Agency for renewal for a term equal to the term of the contract.

(b) The experts or expert consulting firms retained by the Agency shall, as appropriate, prepare feedstock procurement plans and conduct a competitive feedstock procurement process as prescribed in Section 1-78 of this Act to ensure adequate, reliable, affordable feedstocks, taking into account any benefits of price stability, for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility.
(c) The draft procurement plans are subject to public comment pursuant to Section 1-78 of this Act.
(d) The Agency shall assess fees to each bidder to recover the costs incurred in connection with the competitive procurement process.
(Source: P.A. 97-96, eff. 7-13-11.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-78)
Sec. 1-78. Feedstock procurement plan; feedstock procurement process.
(a) A feedstock procurement plan shall at least every 5 years beginning in 2015 be prepared for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility based on the clean coal SNG brownfield facility's projection of feedstock usage and ratios, and consistent with the applicable requirements of the Public Utilities Act and this Act. The plan shall specifically identify the wholesale feedstock products to be procured following plan approval and shall follow all the requirements set forth in this Act, the Public Utilities Act, and all applicable State and federal laws, statutes, rules, or regulations, as well as Commission orders. Nothing in this Section precludes consideration of contracts longer than 5 years and related forecast data. Any feedstock procurement occurring in accordance with this plan shall be competitively bid through a request for proposals process. Approval and implementation of the feedstock procurement plan shall be subject to review and approval by the Commission according to the provisions set forth in this Section. A feedstock procurement plan shall include each of the following components:
(1) Daily load analysis. This analysis shall

include:

(A) multi-year historical analysis of hourly

loads; and

(B) known or projected changes to future loads.
(2) Determination of the fuel specifications required

for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility, including:

(A) coal and petroleum coke mix, as set by the

clean coal SNG brownfield facility with coal comprising at least 50% of the total feedstock over the term of any sourcing agreement unless the facility reasonably determines that it is necessary to use additional petroleum coke to deliver additional consumer savings, in which case the facility shall use coal for at least 35% of the total feedstock over the term of any sourcing agreement;

(B) volume of each feedstock required;
(C) quality standards of each feedstock;
(D) delivery requirements, including cost

implications; and

(E) technical specifications of the clean coal

SNG brownfield facility for its feedstocks.

(b) The feedstock procurement process shall be administered by a feedstock procurement administrator and monitored by a feedstock procurement monitor.
(1) The feedstock procurement administrator shall:
(A) design the final feedstock procurement

process in accordance with subsection (d) of this Section following Commission approval of the feedstock procurement plan;

(B) develop feedstock benchmarks in accordance

with subsection (d)(3) to be used to evaluate bids; these benchmarks shall be submitted to the Commission for review and approval on a confidential basis prior to the feedstock procurement event;

(C) serve as the interface between the clean coal

SNG brownfield facility and coal and petroleum coke suppliers;

(D) manage the bidder prequalification and

registration process;

(E) obtain the facility's agreement to

the final form of all supply contracts and credit collateral agreements;

(F) administer the request for feedstock

proposals process;

(G) have the discretion to negotiate to

determine whether bidders are willing to lower the price of bids that meet the benchmarks approved by the Commission; any post-bid negotiations with bidders shall be limited to price only and shall be completed within 24 hours after opening the sealed bids and shall be conducted in a fair and unbiased manner; in conducting the negotiations, there shall be no disclosure of any information derived from proposals submitted by competing bidders; if information is disclosed to any bidder, it shall be provided to all competing bidders;

(H) maintain confidentiality of supplier and

bidding information in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and tariffs;

(I) submit a confidential report to the

Commission recommending acceptance or rejection of bids;

(J) notify the facility of contract

counterparties and contract specifics; and

(K) administer related contingency feedstock

procurement events.

(2) The feedstock procurement monitor, who shall be

retained by the Commission, shall:

(A) monitor interactions among the feedstock

procurement administrator, suppliers, and the facility;

(B) monitor and report to the Commission on the

progress of the feedstock procurement process;

(C) provide an independent, confidential report

to the Commission regarding the results of the feedstock procurement event;

(D) preserve the confidentiality of supplier and

bidding information in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and tariffs;

(E) provide expert advice to the Commission and

consult with the feedstock procurement administrator regarding issues related to feedstock procurement process design, rules, protocols, and policy-related matters;

(F) consult with the feedstock procurement

administrator regarding the development and use of benchmark criteria, standard form contracts, credit policies, and bid documents; and

(G) assess compliance with the procurement plans

approved by the Commission.

(c) The feedstock planning process shall be conducted as follows:
(1) Beginning in 2015, the clean coal SNG brownfield

facility shall annually provide a range of feedstock requirement forecasts to the Agency by May 15 of each year, or such other date as may be required by the Commission or Agency. The feedstock requirement forecasts shall cover the 5-year feedstock procurement planning period for the next feedstock procurement plan, or such other longer period that the Agency or the Commission may require and shall include daily data representing a high-load, low-load, and expected-load scenario for the load of the utilities required to enter into sourcing agreements with the clean coal SNG brownfield facility. The utility shall provide supporting data and assumptions for each of the scenarios.

(2) Beginning in 2015, the Agency shall at least

every 5 years prepare a feedstock procurement plan by June 15, or such other date as may be required by the Commission. The clean coal SNG brownfield facility also may submit a feedstock procurement plan. Each feedstock procurement plan shall identify the portfolio of feedstocks to be procured. Copies of each feedstock procurement plan shall be posted and made publicly available on the Agency's and Commission's websites, and copies of the Agency's feedstock procurement plan shall also be provided to the clean coal SNG brownfield facility. The clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall have 30 days following the date of posting to provide comment to the Agency on the feedstock procurement plan. Other interested entities also may comment on each feedstock procurement plan. All comments submitted to the Agency shall be specific, supported by data or other detailed analyses, and, if objecting to all or a portion of the feedstock procurement plan, accompanied by specific alternative wording or proposals. All comments shall be posted on the Agency's and Commission's websites. During this 30-day comment period, the Agency shall hold at least one public hearing for the purpose of receiving public comment on the procurement plan. Within 14 days following the end of the 30-day comment period, the clean coal SNG brownfield facility may revise its feedstock procurement plan, if any, and the Agency shall revise the feedstock procurement plan as necessary based on the comments received, and each shall file its feedstock procurement plan with the Commission, and post the feedstock procurement plan on the websites.

(3) Within 5 days after the filing of a feedstock

procurement plan, any person objecting to the feedstock procurement plan shall file an objection with the Commission. Within 10 days after the filing, the Commission shall determine whether a hearing is necessary. The Commission shall enter its order confirming or modifying a feedstock procurement plan within 90 days after the filing of the feedstock procurement plan by the Agency.

(4) The Commission shall approve a feedstock

procurement plan, including expressly the forecast used in the feedstock procurement plan, if the Commission determines that it will ensure adequate, reliable, and affordable feedstocks to the clean coal SNG brownfield facility at the lowest total cost over time, taking into account any benefits of price stability.

(d) The feedstock procurement process shall include each of the following components:
(1) Solicitation, prequalification, and registration

of bidders. The feedstock procurement administrator shall disseminate information to potential bidders to promote a feedstock procurement event, notify potential bidders that the feedstock procurement administrator may enter into a post-bid price negotiation with bidders that meet the applicable benchmarks, provide supply requirements, and otherwise explain the competitive feedstock procurement process. In addition to such other publication as the feedstock procurement administrator determines is appropriate, this information shall be posted on the Agency's and the Commission's websites. The feedstock procurement administrator shall also administer the prequalification process, including evaluation of creditworthiness, compliance with feedstock procurement rules, and agreement to the standard form contract developed pursuant to paragraph (2) of this subsection (d). The feedstock procurement administrator shall then identify and register bidders to participate in the feedstock procurement event.

(2) Standard contract forms and credit terms and

instruments. The feedstock procurement administrator, in consultation with the clean coal SNG brownfield facility, gas utilities, the Commission, and other interested parties and subject to Commission oversight, shall develop and provide standard contract forms for the supplier contracts that meet generally accepted industry practices. Standard credit terms and instruments that meet generally accepted industry practices shall be similarly developed. The feedstock procurement administrator shall make available to the Commission all written comments it receives on the contract forms, credit terms, or instruments. If the feedstock procurement administrator cannot reach agreement with the applicable clean coal SNG brownfield facility as to the contract terms and conditions, then the feedstock procurement administrator must notify the Commission of any disputed terms and the Commission shall resolve the dispute. The terms of the contracts shall not be subject to negotiation by winning bidders and the bidders must agree to the terms of the contract in advance so that winning bids are selected solely on the basis of price.

(3) Establishment of a market-based price benchmark.

As part of the development of the feedstock procurement process, the feedstock procurement administrator, in consultation with the Commission staff, Agency staff, and the feedstock procurement monitor, shall establish benchmarks for evaluating the final prices in the contracts for each of the feedstocks that will be procured through the feedstock procurement process. The benchmarks shall be based on price data for similar feedstocks for the same delivery period and same delivery hub or other delivery hubs after adjusting for that difference. The price benchmarks may also be adjusted to take into account differences between the information reflected in the underlying data sources and the specific feedstocks and gasification feedstock procurement process being used to procure for the clean coal SNG brownfield facility. The benchmarks shall be confidential but shall be provided to, and shall be subject to, the Commission's review and approval prior to a feedstock procurement event.

(4) Request for proposals. The feedstock procurement

administrator shall design and issue a request for proposals to supply coal or petroleum coke in accordance with the clean coal SNG brownfield facility's usage plan, as approved by the Commission. The request for proposals shall set forth a procedure for sealed, binding commitment bidding with pay-as-bid settlement, and provision for selection of bids on the basis of price.

(5) A plan for implementing contingencies in the

event of supplier default or failure of the feedstock procurement process to fully meet the expected feedstock requirement due to insufficient supplier participation, Commission rejection of results, or any other cause. The plan must be specific to the clean coal SNG brownfield facility's feedstock specifications and requirements.

The feedstock procurement process described in this subsection (d) is exempt from the requirements of the Illinois Procurement Code, pursuant to Section 20-10 of that Code.
(e) Within 2 business days after opening the sealed bids, the feedstock procurement administrator shall submit a confidential report to the Commission. The report shall contain the results of the bidding for each of the feedstock types along with the feedstock procurement administrator's recommendation for the acceptance and rejection of bids based on the price benchmark criteria and other factors observed in the process. The feedstock procurement monitor also shall submit a confidential report to the Commission within 2 business days after opening the sealed bids. The report shall contain the feedstock procurement monitor's assessment of bidder behavior in the process, as well as an assessment of the feedstock procurement administrator's compliance with the feedstock procurement process and rules. The Commission shall review the confidential reports submitted by the feedstock procurement administrator and feedstock procurement monitor and shall accept or reject the recommendations of the feedstock procurement administrator within 2 business days after receipt of the reports.
(f) Within 3 business days after the Commission decision approving the results of a feedstock procurement event, the clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall enter into binding contractual arrangements with the winning suppliers using standard form contracts.
(g) The names of the successful bidders and the amount of feedstock to be delivered for each contract type and for each contract term shall be made available to the public at the time of Commission approval of a feedstock procurement event. The Commission, the procurement monitor, the feedstock procurement administrator, the Agency, and all participants in the feedstock procurement process shall maintain the confidentiality of all other supplier and bidding information in a manner consistent with all applicable laws, rules, regulations, and tariffs. Confidential information, including the confidential reports submitted by the feedstock procurement administrator and feedstock procurement monitor pursuant to subsection (e) of this Section, shall not be publicly available or discoverable by any party in any proceeding absent a compelling demonstration of need. The reports shall not be admissible in any proceeding other than one for law enforcement purposes.
(h) Within 2 business days after a Commission decision approving the results of a feedstock procurement event or such other date as may be required by the Commission from time to time, the clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall file for informational purposes with the Commission its actual or estimated feedstock costs by utility customer reflecting the costs associated with the feedstock procurement.
(i) The clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall pay for reasonable costs incurred by the Agency in administering the feedstock procurement events, which costs shall be included in the actual delivered fuel costs of the clean coal SNG brownfield facility. The Agency shall determine the amount owed for each feedstock procurement event, and the clean coal SNG brownfield facility shall pay that amount to the Agency within 30 days after being informed by the Agency of the amount owed. Those funds shall be deposited into the Illinois Power Agency Operations Fund, pursuant to Section 1-55 of this Act, to be used to reimburse expenses related to the feedstock procurement.
(j) The Commission has the authority to adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this Section. For the public interest, safety, and welfare, the Commission also has the authority to adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this Section on an emergency basis.
(k) On or before April 1 of each year, the Commission may hold an informal hearing for the purpose of receiving comments on the prior year's feedstock procurement process and any recommendations for change.
(Source: P.A. 97-96, eff. 7-13-11.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-80)
Sec. 1-80. Resource Development Bureau. Upon its establishment by the Agency, the Resource Development Bureau has the following duties and responsibilities:
(a) At the Agency's discretion, conduct feasibility

studies on the construction of any facility. Funding for a study shall come from either:

(i) fees assessed by the Agency on municipal

electric systems, governmental aggregators, unit or units of local government, or rural electric cooperatives requesting the feasibility study; or

(ii) an appropriation from the General Assembly.
(b) If the Agency undertakes the construction of a

facility, moneys generated from the sale of revenue bonds by the Authority for the facility shall be used to reimburse the source of the money used for the facility's feasibility study.

(c) The Agency may develop, finance, construct, or

operate electric generation and co-generation facilities that use indigenous coal or renewable resources, or both, financed with bonds issued by the Authority on behalf of the Agency. Any such facility that uses coal must be a clean coal facility and must be constructed in a location where the geology is suitable for carbon sequestration. The Agency may also develop, finance, construct, or operate a carbon sequestration facility.

(1) The Agency may enter into contractual

arrangements with private and public entities, including but not limited to municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, and rural electric cooperatives, to plan, site, construct, improve, rehabilitate, and operate those electric generation and co-generation facilities. No contract shall be entered into by the Agency that would jeopardize the tax-exempt status of any bond issued in connection with a project for which the Agency entered into the contract.

(2) The Agency shall hold at least one public

hearing before entering into any such contractual arrangements. At least 30-days' notice of the hearing shall be given by publication once in each week during that period in 6 newspapers within the State, at least one of which has a circulation area that includes the location of the proposed facility.

(3) The first facility that the Agency develops,

finances, or constructs shall be a facility that uses coal produced in Illinois. The Agency may, however, also develop, finance, or construct renewable energy facilities after work on the first facility has commenced.

(4) The Agency may not develop, finance, or

construct a nuclear power plant.

(5) The Agency shall assess fees to applicants

seeking to partner with the Agency on projects.

(d) Use of electricity generated by the Agency's

facilities. The Agency may supply electricity produced by the Agency's facilities to municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives in Illinois. The electricity shall be supplied at cost.

(1) Contracts to supply power and energy from the

Agency's facilities shall provide for the effectuation of the policies set forth in this Act.

(2) The contracts shall also provide that,

notwithstanding any provision in the Public Utilities Act, entities supplied with power and energy from an Agency facility shall supply the power and energy to retail customers at the same price paid to purchase power and energy from the Agency.

(e) Electric utilities shall not be required to purchase electricity directly or indirectly from facilities developed or sponsored by the Agency.
(f) The Agency may sell excess capacity and excess energy into the wholesale electric market at prevailing market rates; provided, however, the Agency may not sell excess capacity or excess energy through the procurement process described in Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
(g) The Agency shall not directly sell electric power and energy to retail customers. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to prohibit sales to municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives.
(Source: P.A. 99-536, eff. 7-8-16.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-85)
Sec. 1-85. Construction of facilities. The Agency may begin construction of a facility costing the Agency more than $100,000,000 only if the Agency demonstrates each of the following:
(a) After conducting a study, that the construction

and operation of the facility is feasible.

(b) That the project does not materially adversely

affect overall real property taxes in the taxing jurisdictions where the facility is to be located.

(c) That the Agency has received all required

federal, State, and local government licenses, permits, or approval for the facility.

(d) That the Agency has obtained binding written

commitments from municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives constituting agreements to purchase, in the aggregate, at least 75% of the anticipated output of the facility for a time period long enough to ensure recovery of:

(1) all costs, including interest, amortization

charges, and reserve charges, sufficient to retire revenue bonds issued for costs incurred in connection with the development and construction of a facility; and

(2) all operating, capital, administrative, and

general expenses for the continued operation of the facility, including fiscal reserves, and any depreciation charges or costs.

(e) That the Agency has a reasonable plan to sell the

remaining anticipated output of the facility to municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives.

(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-86)
Sec. 1-86. General Assembly approval. For projects costing the Agency $1,000,000,000 or more, in addition to the provisions of Section 1-85, the General Assembly must adopt a joint resolution of the House of Representatives and the Senate approving the construction of the facility.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-87)
Sec. 1-87. Management and operating agreements. For projects costing the Agency $1,000,000,000 or more, the Agency shall enter into management and operating agreements for the relevant facility or facilities. Solicitation for any such management and operating agreement shall be pursuant to a request for proposals. The agreements must comply with the Internal Revenue Code and its regulations and shall not jeopardize the tax-exempt status of any bond issued in connection with a project for which the Agency entered into the agreement.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-90)
Sec. 1-90. Distribution and transmission facilities. The Agency shall not own or acquire distribution or transmission facilities except as necessary to connect an Agency facility to an electric transmission or distribution system.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-92)
Sec. 1-92. Aggregation of electrical load by municipalities, townships, and counties.
(a) The corporate authorities of a municipality, township board, or county board of a county may adopt an ordinance under which it may aggregate in accordance with this Section residential and small commercial retail electrical loads located, respectively, within the municipality, the township, or the unincorporated areas of the county and, for that purpose, may solicit bids and enter into service agreements to facilitate for those loads the sale and purchase of electricity and related services and equipment.
The corporate authorities, township board, or county board may also exercise such authority jointly with any other municipality, township, or county. Two or more municipalities, townships, or counties, or a combination of both, may initiate a process jointly to authorize aggregation by a majority vote of each particular municipality, township, or county as required by this Section.
If the corporate authorities, township board, or the county board seek to operate the aggregation program as an opt-out program for residential and small commercial retail customers, then prior to the adoption of an ordinance with respect to aggregation of residential and small commercial retail electric loads, the corporate authorities of a municipality, the township board, or the county board of a county shall submit a referendum to its residents to determine whether or not the aggregation program shall operate as an opt-out program for residential and small commercial retail customers. Any county board that seeks to submit such a referendum to its residents shall do so only in unincorporated areas of the county where no electric aggregation ordinance has been adopted.
In addition to the notice and conduct requirements of the general election law, notice of the referendum shall state briefly the purpose of the referendum. The question of whether the corporate authorities, the township board, or the county board shall adopt an opt-out aggregation program for residential and small commercial retail customers shall be submitted to the electors of the municipality, township board, or county board at a regular election and approved by a majority of the electors voting on the question. The corporate authorities, township board, or county board must certify to the proper election authority, which must submit the question at an election in accordance with the Election Code.
The election authority must submit the question in substantially the following form:
Shall the (municipality, township, or county in which

the question is being voted upon) have the authority to arrange for the supply of electricity for its residential and small commercial retail customers who have not opted out of such program?

The election authority must record the votes as "Yes" or "No".
If a majority of the electors voting on the question vote in the affirmative, then the corporate authorities, township board, or county board may implement an opt-out aggregation program for residential and small commercial retail customers.
A referendum must pass in each particular municipality, township, or county that is engaged in the aggregation program. If the referendum fails, then the corporate authorities, township board, or county board shall operate the aggregation program as an opt-in program for residential and small commercial retail customers.
An ordinance under this Section shall specify whether the aggregation will occur only with the prior consent of each person owning, occupying, controlling, or using an electric load center proposed to be aggregated. Nothing in this Section, however, authorizes the aggregation of electric loads that are served or authorized to be served by an electric cooperative as defined by and pursuant to the Electric Supplier Act or loads served by a municipality that owns and operates its own electric distribution system. No aggregation shall take effect unless approved by a majority of the members of the corporate authority, township board, or county board voting upon the ordinance.
A governmental aggregator under this Section is not a public utility or an alternative retail electric supplier.
For purposes of this Section, "township" means the portion of a township that is an unincorporated portion of a county that is not otherwise a part of a municipality. In addition to such other limitations as are included in this Section, a township board shall only have authority to aggregate residential and small commercial customer loads in accordance with this Section if the county board of the county in which the township is located (i) is not also submitting a referendum to its residents at the same general election that the township board proposes to submit a referendum under this subsection (a), (ii) has not received authorization through passage of a referendum to operate an opt-out aggregation program for residential and small commercial retail customers under this subsection (a), and (iii) has not otherwise enacted an ordinance under this subsection (a) authorizing the operation of an opt-in aggregation program for residential and small commercial retail customers as described in this Section.
(b) Upon the applicable requisite authority under this Section, the corporate authorities, the township board, or the county board, with assistance from the Illinois Power Agency, shall develop a plan of operation and governance for the aggregation program so authorized. Before adopting a plan under this Section, the corporate authorities, township board, or county board shall hold at least 2 public hearings on the plan. Before the first hearing, the corporate authorities, township board, or county board shall publish notice of the hearings once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the jurisdiction. The notice shall summarize the plan and state the date, time, and location of each hearing. Any load aggregation plan established pursuant to this Section shall:
(1) provide for universal access to all applicable

residential customers and equitable treatment of applicable residential customers;

(2) describe demand management and energy efficiency

services to be provided to each class of customers; and

(3) meet any requirements established by law

concerning aggregated service offered pursuant to this Section.

(c) The process for soliciting bids for electricity and other related services and awarding proposed agreements for the purchase of electricity and other related services shall be conducted in the following order:
(1) The corporate authorities, township board, or

county board may solicit bids for electricity and other related services. The bid specifications may include a provision requiring the bidder to disclose the fuel type of electricity to be procured or generated on behalf of the aggregation program customers. The corporate authorities, township board, or county board may consider the proposed source of electricity to be procured or generated to be put into the grid on behalf of aggregation program customers in the competitive bidding process. The Agency and Commission may collaborate to issue joint guidance on voluntary uniform standards for bidder disclosures of the source of electricity to be procured or generated to be put into the grid on behalf of aggregation program customers.

(1.5) A township board shall request from the

electric utility those residential and small commercial customers within their aggregate area either by zip code or zip codes or other means as determined by the electric utility. The electric utility shall then provide to the township board the residential and small commercial customers, including the names and addresses of residential and small commercial customers, electronically. The township board shall be responsible for authenticating the residential and small commercial customers contained in this listing and providing edits of the data to affirm, add, or delete the residential and small commercial customers located within its jurisdiction. The township board shall provide the edited list to the electric utility in an electronic format or other means selected by the electric utility and certify that the information is accurate.

(2) Notwithstanding Section 16-122 of the Public

Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, an electric utility that provides residential and small commercial retail electric service in the aggregate area must, upon request of the corporate authorities, township board, or the county board in the aggregate area, submit to the requesting party, in an electronic format, those account numbers, names, and addresses of residential and small commercial retail customers in the aggregate area that are reflected in the electric utility's records at the time of the request; provided, however, that any township board has first provided an accurate customer list to the electric utility as provided for herein.

Any corporate authority, township board, or county board receiving customer information from an electric utility shall be subject to the limitations on the disclosure of the information described in Section 16-122 of the Public Utilities Act and Section 2HH of the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, and an electric utility shall not be held liable for any claims arising out of the provision of information pursuant to this item (2).
(d) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county board operate under an opt-in program for residential and small commercial retail customers, then the corporate authorities, township board, or county board shall comply with all of the following:
(1) Within 60 days after receiving the bids, the

corporate authorities, township board, or county board shall allow residential and small commercial retail customers to commit to the terms and conditions of a bid that has been selected by the corporate authorities, township board, or county board.

(2) If (A) the corporate authorities, township board,

or county board award proposed agreements for the purchase of electricity and other related services and (B) an agreement is reached between the corporate authorities, township board, or county board for those services, then customers committed to the terms and conditions according to item (1) of this subsection (d) shall be committed to the agreement.

(e) If the corporate authorities, township board, or county board operate as an opt-out program for residential and small commercial retail customers, then it shall be the duty of the aggregated entity to fully inform residential and small commercial retail customers in advance that they have the right to opt out of the aggregation program. The disclosure shall prominently state all charges to be made and shall include full disclosure of the cost to obtain service pursuant to Section 16-103 of the Public Utilities Act, how to access it, and the fact that it is available to them without penalty, if they are currently receiving service under that Section. The Illinois Power Agency shall furnish, without charge, to any citizen a list of all supply options available to them in a format that allows comparison of prices and products.
(f) Any person or entity retained by a municipality or county, or jointly by more than one such unit of local government, to provide input, guidance, or advice in the selection of an electricity supplier for an aggregation program shall disclose in writing to the involved units of local government the nature of any relationship through which the person or entity may receive, either directly or indirectly, commissions or other remuneration as a result of the selection of any particular electricity supplier. The written disclosure must be made prior to formal approval by the involved units of local government of any professional services agreement with the person or entity, or no later than October 1, 2012 with respect to any such professional services agreement entered into prior to the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly. The disclosure shall cover all direct and indirect relationships through which commissions or remuneration may result, including the pooling of commissions or remuneration among multiple persons or entities, and shall identify all involved electricity suppliers. The disclosure requirements in this subsection (f) are to be liberally construed to ensure that the nature of financial interests are fully revealed, and these disclosure requirements shall apply regardless of whether the involved person or entity is licensed under Section 16-115C of the Public Utilities Act. Any person or entity that fails to make the disclosure required under this subsection (f) is liable to the involved units of local government in an amount equal to all compensation paid to such person or entity by the units of local government for the input, guidance, or advice in the selection of an electricity supplier, plus reasonable attorneys fees and court costs incurred by the units of local government in connection with obtaining such amount.
(g) The Illinois Power Agency shall provide assistance to municipalities, townships, counties, or associations working with municipalities to help complete the plan and bidding process.
(h) This Section does not prohibit municipalities or counties from entering into an intergovernmental agreement to aggregate residential and small commercial retail electric loads.
(Source: P.A. 97-338, eff. 8-12-11; 97-823, eff. 7-18-12; 97-1067, eff. 8-24-12; 98-404, eff. 1-1-14; 98-434, eff. 1-1-14; 98-463, eff. 8-16-13; 98-756, eff. 7-16-14.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-95)
Sec. 1-95. Insurance. Upon the Authority's issuance of revenue bonds for an Agency facility, the Agency shall purchase an insurance policy to cover those construction and operation costs associated with the facility. The policy shall remain in effect for the time period under which the Agency may accrue any liabilities associated with the facility.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-100)
Sec. 1-100. Timely payment to Agency. Any party receiving electricity shall make timely payment on all bills rendered by the Agency. Any violation of contractual terms by a party receiving electricity from an Agency facility is grounds for cancellation and termination of the contract.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-105)
Sec. 1-105. Deposit of revenue. All revenue from contracts described in Section 1-80(d) shall be deposited into the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-110)
Sec. 1-110. State Police reimbursement. The Agency shall reimburse the Department of State Police for any expenses associated with security at facilities from the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-115)
Sec. 1-115. Revenue from real estate. All revenue from any sale, conveyance, lease, exchange, transfer, abandonment, or other disposition of real property shall be deposited into the Illinois Power Agency Facilities Fund.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-120)
Sec. 1-120. Protection of confidential and proprietary information. The Agency shall provide adequate protection for confidential and proprietary information furnished, delivered, or filed by any person, corporation, or other entity.
(Source: P.A. 95-481, eff. 8-28-07.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-125)
Sec. 1-125. Agency annual reports. By February 15 of each year, the Agency shall report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly on the operations and transactions of the Agency. The annual report shall include, but not be limited to, each of the following:
(1) The average quantity, price, and term of all

contracts for electricity procured under the procurement plans for electric utilities.

(2) (Blank).
(3) The quantity, price, and rate impact of all

energy efficiency and demand response measures purchased for electric utilities, and any measures included in the procurement plan pursuant to Section 16-111.5B of the Public Utilities Act.

(4) The amount of power and energy produced by each

Agency facility.

(5) The quantity of electricity supplied by each

Agency facility to municipal electric systems, governmental aggregators, or rural electric cooperatives in Illinois.

(6) The revenues as allocated by the Agency to each

facility.

(7) The costs as allocated by the Agency to each

facility.

(8) The accumulated depreciation for each facility.
(9) The status of any projects under development.
(10) Basic financial and operating information

specifically detailed for the reporting year and including, but not limited to, income and expense statements, balance sheets, and changes in financial position, all in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, debt structure, and a summary of funds on a cash basis.

(11) The average quantity, price, contract type and

term, and rate impact of all renewable resources purchased under the electricity procurement plans for electric utilities.

(12) A comparison of the costs associated with the

Agency's procurement of renewable energy resources to (A) the Agency's costs associated with electricity generated by other types of generation facilities and (B) the benefits associated with the Agency's procurement of renewable energy resources.

(13) An analysis of the rate impacts associated with

the Illinois Power Agency's procurement of renewable resources, including, but not limited to, any long-term contracts, on the eligible retail customers of electric utilities. The analysis shall include the Agency's estimate of the total dollar impact that the Agency's procurement of renewable resources has had on the annual electricity bills of the customer classes that comprise each eligible retail customer class taking service from an electric utility.

(14) An analysis of how the operation of the

alternative compliance payment mechanism, any long-term contracts, or other aspects of the applicable renewable portfolio standards impacts the rates of customers of alternative retail electric suppliers.

(Source: P.A. 99-536, eff. 7-8-16.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-127)
Sec. 1-127. Minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities; reports.
(a) The Director of the Illinois Power Agency, or his or her designee, when offering bids for professional services, shall conduct outreach to minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities. Outreach shall include, but is not limited to, advertisements in periodicals and newspapers, mailings, and other appropriate media.
(b) The Director or his or her designee shall, upon request, provide technical assistance to minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities seeking to do business with the Agency.
(c) The Director or his or her designee, upon request, shall conduct post-bid reviews with minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities whose bids were not selected by the Agency. Post-bid reviews shall provide a business with detailed and specific reasons why the bid of that business was rejected and concrete recommendations to improve its bid application on future Agency professional services opportunities.
(d) The Agency shall report annually to the Governor and the General Assembly by July 1. The report shall identify the businesses that have provided bids to offer professional services to the Agency and shall also include, but not be limited to, the following information:
(1) whether or not the businesses are minority owned

businesses, female owned businesses, or businesses owned by persons with disabilities;

(2) the percentage of professional service contracts

that were awarded to minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities as compared to other businesses; and

(3) the actions the Agency has undertaken to increase

the use of the minority owned businesses, female owned businesses, and businesses owned by persons with disabilities in professional service contracts.

(e) In this Section, "professional services" means services that use skills that are predominantly mental or intellectual, rather than physical or manual, including, but not limited to, accounting, architecture, consulting, engineering, finance, legal, and marketing. "Professional services" does not include bidders into the competitive procurement process pursuant to Section 16-111.5 of the Public Utilities Act.
(Source: P.A. 99-143, eff. 7-27-15.)

(20 ILCS 3855/1-130)
(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2021)
Sec. 1-130. Home rule preemption.
(a) The authorization to impose any new taxes or fees specifically related to the generation of electricity by, the capacity to generate electricity by, or the emissions into the atmosphere by electric generating facilities after the effective date of this Act is an exclusive power and function of the State. A home rule unit may not levy any new taxes or fees specifically related to the generation of electricity by, the capacity to generate electricity by, or the emissions into the atmosphere by electric generating facilities after the effective date of this Act. This Section is a denial and limitation on home rule powers and functions under subsection (g) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution.
(b) This Section is repealed on January 1, 2021.
(Source: P.A. 100-1157, eff. 12-19-18.)