Utility-scale solar is operating in Illinois today. Vistra has completed four solar projects in the state, three of them built on land at existing power plant sites.
Solar capacity570MWAdded across four completed Illinois projects.
Private investment$1billion+Vistra’s investment in those projects.
Work hours1.6millionHours worked by the building trades constructing them.
Counties4Randolph, Jasper, Montgomery and Pulaski.
Baldwin68 MW of solar with energy storage. Randolph County.
Coffeen44 MW of solar with energy storage. Montgomery County.
Newton52 MW of solar with energy storage. Jasper County.
Pulaski405 MW of solar. Pulaski County. The largest solar project Vistra has built anywhere.

How These Projects Were Built

Getting to steel in the ground took years of regulatory work. Vistra executed contracts with the Illinois Power Agency covering the purchase of electricity from the Coal to Solar fleet sites from 2024 through 2044, obtained MISO approval to connect the projects to the grid, and invested more than $15 million to secure the approvals those projects required.
Construction began in 2023, through a period of supply chain disruption and equipment shortages across the solar industry, and the first projects entered service in 2024. Every one was built by members of Illinois’ union construction trades.
At Baldwin alone, crews installed more than 200,000 solar panels; at Coffeen, 129,768. Across the four completed projects the trades worked roughly 1.6 million hours.

INVESTMENTS AT PLANT SITES SUPPORT PRESERVATION OF LOCAL TAX BASE & SUPPORT A JUST TRANSITION:

Vistra recognizes that plant retirements have a detrimental impact on energy workers and plant communities. The company is investing in its Illinois plant communities to help attain a Just Transition following the retirement of coal-fueled facilities.

Vistra supports its dedicated energy workers through this transition and is committed to an orderly and transparent plant retirement process.

So that communities that have hosted power plants for decades can economically benefit as the grid transitions, Vistra has taken a site-by-site planning approach to determine the best path forward for the responsible retirement of each of its Illinois coal plants and is creating a queue of development opportunities to redevelop and reuse the sites.

It is Vistra’s goal to find solutions for each plant community that allow for the preservation of local property taxes, to the extent economically feasible through the building of energy infrastructure projects at or adjacent to its plant sites.

RESPONSIBLE RETIREMENT PLANS DRIVEN BY SCIENCE AND LOCAL DATA

Vistra - Baldwin - Video Still

Each coal plant site has unique characteristics that guide the closure, retirement, and redevelopment process. Vistra has taken a site-by-site planning approach to determine the best path forward for the responsible retirement of each of its coal plants.

Vistra follows the science at each plant site to develop a responsible and compliant closure plan for its coal combustion residuals or “CCR” impoundments. This deliberative process includes evaluating alternative closure methods, extensive modeling, and engaging in a public review process.

Illinois regulations encourage site owners to tailor their closure plan to the unique conditions of their site to ensure the final permitted closure method protects the environment, groundwater resources, and public health. Learn more about Vistra’s retirement and closure plans for its legacy coal fleet on individual plant profile pages.

Community updates regarding the Vermilion Power Station – Oakwood, Illinois