Springfield council approves 20-year solar power purchase agreement with Lincoln Capital Land LLC

The Springfield City Council approved Ordinance 2025-301 on emergency passage, authorizing a 20-year purchase power agreement (PPA) with Lincoln Capital Land LLC for up to $2,300,000 annually for 20 megawatts of solar energy for the office of public utilities; the council voted in favor of the ordinance (motion passed with 10 voting yes, none voting no).

The measure locks in a long-term supply contract for a 20-megawatt solar project. Supporters at the meeting said the PPA stabilizes energy costs and advances the utility’s shift toward renewables while critics and commenters urged additional planning on storage and equitable distribution of benefits.

Donald Hanner Hand, a retired lawyer who spoke during the public comment period, thanked city staff and said the PPA “helps mitigate those worries, making clean energy both a certain buy, that is we’re not buying just unknown grid energy, as well as a financially safer buy.” Laurie McKeeran, a member of the Coalition for Springfield’s Utility Future, said the developer plans a larger 125-megawatt array near the airport and that the array “will be connected to the MISO grid via CWLP’s transmission system.”

Bob Croteau, a CWLP customer representing Sustainable Springfield and the Faith Coalition for the Common Good, praised staff efforts and urged the council to focus on low-income customer benefits and battery storage. Croteau said, “Moving away from fossil fuels is critical and this PPA is a significant first step in moving to additional clean energy sources that are free of these emissions.”

Utility staff clarified that the $2.3 million figure in the ordinance is “strictly to buy the energy portion…for the 20 megawatts” and said no major transmission upgrades are expected for this connection because the project will access an existing 138 kV substation; they also noted that MISO’s open-access rules allow entities to enter the interconnection queue. Staff told the council that battery storage options have been reviewed but remain costly at current prices; they said the city will continue to evaluate storage technologies and include them in the upcoming Integrated Resource Plan (IRP).

Council members asked for clarity on how the PPA fits into broader utility planning. Alderman Williams asked staff to explain differences between an IRP and an action plan; staff pointed to past council resolutions that implemented IRP recommendations as examples of action plans. Staff also said there is a possibility of partial state funding for the IRP if related legislation advances during the veto session.

Discussion was primarily about implementation details — how the energy will be delivered, whether battery storage should be added and how the council will ensure benefits reach low-income customers — while the formal action approved the PPA as presented. The council opened the vote after public comment and passed the ordinance on emergency passage.

The decision is expected to be incorporated into CWLP’s IRP work and other planned renewable procurements; council members and commenters said they expect follow-up reports and further discussions about storage, community solar benefit design and longer-term planning in future meetings.