Press Release: CGA Celebrates the Signing of the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act to Lower Consumer Costs and Stabilize the Grid
Law will provide relief for consumers, address reliability concerns, and support economic development
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 8th, 2026
Media Contact
Carlie Hansen: chansen@aileroninc.com | 773-641-4029
JOLIET, IL – Today, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability (CRGA) Act into law at a ceremony with lawmakers, renewable energy representatives, organized labor, and environmental and consumer advocates in attendance. CRGA, which passed in the fall legislative session, directs the Illinois Power Agency to procure 3 GW of battery storage, creates a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, improves state siting language and processes in addition to other measures designed to improve grid reliability and lower electricity costs for consumers.
“By passing and signing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act, Illinois lawmakers and Governor Pritzker took decisive action for consumers and the state’s economy by recognizing the importance of energy storage and renewable energy for our collective futures,” said Jeff Danielson, Vice President of Advocacy for the Clean Grid Alliance. “CRGA solidifies Illinois as one of the country’s clean energy leaders, protecting the gains made previously by the Clean and Equitable Jobs Act and helping to manage the surge in electricity demand primarily from data centers. Together, these policies will positively benefit the state’s economy and provide significant relief for consumers in the process.”
CRGA is expected to save consumers at least $13 billion in electricity costs over the next 20 years according to an analysis from the Illinois Power Agency (IPA). The provisions contained in the law will also address the challenges facing Illinois outlined in the recently-released IPA Resource Adequacy Study Report as the state looks to solve reliability and power availability concerns.
Prior to the fall legislative session, Illinois consumers experienced a 20-25% price increase on their electricity bills in the summer of 2025 and the 2026/2027 PJM Capacity Auction results showed a record-setting price of $329.17/MW day, which means another substantial increase starting in June 2026. Clean Grid Alliance helped to lead efforts to pass CRGA to address these price spikes for consumers that were driven largely by increased projected demand by data centers and other expected developments.
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About the Clean Grid Alliance
Clean Grid Alliance (CGA) is transforming and strengthening the power grid across the Midwest. CGA is a team of experts in clean energy development, engineering, economics, policy, and communications advancing solutions that ensure people have clean, low-cost energy when and where they need it. Established in 2001, CGA brings together a coalition of over 80 industry partners and non-profit organizations to realize a shared vision of delivering an affordable, reliable energy future for the Midwest. CGA's leadership has changed the energy landscape, leading to hundreds of successful wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects. The collective work across our industry is fueling more than $450 million in economic benefits for local and state economies in 2025 and now employs hundreds of thousands across the Midwest. CGA is leading the charge for innovation in the rapidly evolving Midwest energy landscape, driving real economic growth through energy abundance.
