Vistra has been diligently working to move Coal to Solar & Energy Storage Initiative project sites from concept to reality. In 2022, the company:

  • Executed contracts with the Illinois Power Agency (IPA) for the entity to buy electricity from the Coal to Solar & Energy Storage Initiative fleet sites from 2024 to 2044.
  • Obtained approval from MISO to connect the projects to the grid. In total, Vistra invested more than $15 million to obtain regulatory approval for the Coal to Solar projects.
  • Navigated unprecedented supply chain disruptions and shortages to ensure that construction could begin in 2023 and projects would begin to enter service in 2024 and 2025

Experience Developing Safe, Reliable Utility-Scale Solar Facilities:

In Texas, Vistra has developed and is operating three utility-scale solar facilities with a total solar generation capacity of 340 MW. The company has four facilities with an additional ~600 MW of solar generation capacity under development in the Texas ERCOT market.

In April 2022, the company opened its Brightside Solar Facility after commencing construction in January 2021. Situated on 430 acres in Live Oak County, Brightside is comprised of 147,732 photovoltaic solar panels that can generate enough electricity to power approximately 25,000 homes.

To complete the utility-scale solar projects enabled by the Coal to Solar Initiative, Vistra currently expects to install more than 525,000 individual solar panels at its legacy power plant sites over the next 24 months.

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

Vistra is committed to investing in its Illinois plant communities to help attain a Just Transition in these impacted communities. While the company is committed to the transition away from carbon-intense generation, it recognizes that plant retirements have a detrimental impact on energy workers and plant communities.

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

To  ensure that communities that have hosted power plants for decades economically benefit from the transition to zero-carbon generation, Vistra has taken a sitebysite 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 renew the sites, transforming them into zerocarbon, renewable energy centers.

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

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.