ComEd has expanded its 765 kV Wilton Center substation, enabling the largest cluster of utility-scale onshore wind and solar projects interconnected to the Illinois electric grid to date, says the company.
“Policymakers, stakeholders and customers want a cleaner energy future, and we’re powering the grid modernization that will make this future a reality,” says Gil Quiniones, CEO of ComEd. “Investments like the expansion of the Wilton Center substation will ensure the successful interconnection of new renewable energy generation to the grid so that it can be delivered through our transmission system to communities across Illinois.”
The Wilton Center substation, constructed in 1968 and located near Joliet, Ill., supports ComEd’s highest voltage transmission lines of 765 kV, used for long-distance power transmission. The Wilton Center substation yard is approximately 1 million square feet and is expected to expand by about 50% when construction is complete. Design engineering began in September, with work including installation of new circuit breakers, transformers, relay switches, network data and control systems.
When complete, the substation expansion will support five wind farms and two solar farms with the capacity to produce a total of up to 2,450 MW of renewable energy for the ComEd transmission system and the PJM energy market,
The substation expansion is expected to be complete and proposed wind farms are expected to be operational in late 2026.
