PJM Extends About 5,450 MW of Illinois Generation Past CEJA's 2030 Retirement Deadline
PJM conducted reliability determinations on Illinois generating units set to retire under the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, then agreed with the owners — including Vistra, Constellation and NRG — to keep the plants in its markets at least until the end of the 2030/2031 Delivery Year.
Why it matters → In total, PJM extended about 5,450 MW of resources, a mix of gas, oil and coal.■ The extended units are: - Vistra Corp.'s Calumet Energy Center (400 MW).■ - Earthrise Energy's Crete Generating Station (356 MW).■ - Constellation Energy Generation, LLC's Zion Energy Center (503 MW).■ - NRG Energy, Inc.'s Aurora Generating Station, University Park North, University Park South, Rockford I and Rockford II — collectively 2,376 MW that the presentation calls the "Illinois Generating Assets" — and NRG's Fisk Generating Station, Waukegan Generating Station and Powerton Generating Station — collectively 1,810 MW called the "MWG Resources."■
The Illinois Climate and Equitable Jobs Act requires certain fossil fuel-fired generating units to reduce carbon dioxide equivalent and other co-pollutants to zero by January 1, 2030, effectively requiring such units to retire.1
The Act carves out an exception: a unit may keep emitting past that deadline if it is determined that continued operation is necessary for grid reliability, provided a unit that participates in an RTO has filed retirement documentation and, once told by the RTO that its operation is still needed, keeps operating and cooperates with the RTO until the identified issue is resolved.2
PJM asked the owners of units that planned to retire under CEJA to notify it of their intentions, and once notified, PJM conducted a reliability determination on those units.3
PJM then gave the generation owners its reliability determination along with an agreement to keep participating in PJM's markets "at least until the end of the 2030/2031 Delivery Year."4
Coverage notes
Gridlight’s notes on what we looked for and did not find; these statements are Gridlight’s own and are not claim-checked against archived sources.
- As of 2026-08-16, Gridlight did not identify the operative rule, order, or tariff section (or a recorded reason none exists yet) for this story in the sources it monitors; this article is based on the documents listed in Sources.
- As of 2026-08-16, Gridlight did not identify the filing that started this for this story in the sources it monitors; this article is based on the documents listed in Sources.
- As of 2026-08-16, Gridlight did not identify answers, protests, or responsive statements in the docket for this story in the sources it monitors; this article is based on the documents listed in Sources.
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