SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Springfield City Council has given the green light to City Water, Light and Power’s (CWLP’s) plan for a 25-year solar contract that provides 25 megawatts of energy and capacity.

The deal with Sangamon Solar LLC, endorsed this month, aligns with a new 100 MW, 750-acre solar project slated for Sangamon County, south of Chatham. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 with operations commencing in 2028. This venture will also generate several construction and maintenance positions.

“Increasing solar resources for CWLP has been an objective of mine since assuming office,” remarked Mayor of Springfield Misty Buscher. “I am pleased that Springfield can benefit from a variety of energy options for our residents, and that this installation is locally accessible to CWLP’s transmission lines, which is advantageous for the city.”

This project is located in proximity to CWLP transmission lines and goes directly into CWLP’s system. This will allow for the delivery of electricity directly to CWLP customers and will avoid transmission congestion on the grid.

Additionally, the amount of energy expected from the project represents approximately 6.5% of CWLP customer energy load. Doug Brown, the CWLP Chief Utility Engineer, said that the contract, a purchase power agreement (PPA), provides an affordable energy resource to add to CWLP’s portfolio.

“Solar is a good fit to our portfolio and securing this contract at a good price is the right thing for our customers by further reducing some of our market purchase exposure to higher costs,” Brown said. “With this long-term contract, we are also underscoring our commitment to being an affordable, reliable and responsible energy provider to Springfield and that we can be a conduit to renewable energy that is generated locally under our public power, customer-owned operation.”

More examples of renewable energy in CWLP’s energy portfolio includes a 15-year wind power capacity purchase from a 185 MW project by Glacier Sands Wind Power, a 3-year solar capacity purchase from a 170 MW project and a utility-owned and operated 250 kW solar installation by CWLP’s Washington substation.