Committee reviews Ameren Illinois proposal for 2.5 MW solar project with battery storage in Kickapoo Township

Ameren Illinois presented its Peoria Energy Center proposal to the Peoria County Land Use Committee: a commercial solar facility of about 2.5 megawatts AC with an approximately 1.5 megawatt AC battery energy storage system on a 37.07-acre parcel at 2400 North Pritchard Road in Kickapoo Township.

Terry Taylor introduced the petition and noted staff recommended approval with eight restrictions; the Zoning Board of Appeals recommended approval with restrictions by a 6–0 vote. Ameren representatives said the project would deploy about 4,800 single-axis tracker photovoltaic panels and six energy storage containers. Patrick Dahlman, project manager for Ameren Illinois, said the containers each hold 16 ESS modules of 43 kilowatt capacity; he described an overall battery capacity of about 4.1 megawatt-hours. The project plan includes transformers, inverters and a centralized equipment hub; interconnection is planned to an existing 13.2 kV distribution circuit.

Ameren said the application demonstrates compliance with county separation and setback requirements: the required 150-foot separation from dwellings on nonparticipating properties and a nearest dwelling of about 170 feet north of the proposed fence line per the submitted site plan. The petitioner submitted an executed Illinois Department of Agriculture Standard Solar Agricultural Impacts Mitigation Agreement (AMA) and a decommissioning plan as required. Ameren also provided a manufacturer fire-protection plan and said its battery systems meet relevant industry standards named in the application.

Representatives described safety measures, including cell-level monitoring and an inert-gas fire-suppression system that was upgraded after a prior installation event; Ameren explained that both heat and smoke detection are now required before suppression will trigger. Committee members asked about per-container suppression, heating and cooling, community engagement and contractor and labor agreements. Ameren said it has engaged a project labor agreement partner (Tri Trades) and named construction subcontractors on the project team. The company described anticipated local benefits including roughly 50 construction jobs, planned local engagement with Bradley University for training and tours, and a vegetative buffer agreed with a south neighbor.

The petitioners described the project's statutory basis: under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (Senate Bill 2408) Ameren may build pilot solar generating facilities, with each facility capped at less than $20 million and a requirement that 12% of construction labor come from surrounding equity-eligible/environmental-justice communities. Ameren reported acquiring the property in October 2023, completing geotechnical and environmental surveys in 2024, and pursuing permitting and preconstruction work in 2025 with an expected construction start in 2025 and commissioning in 2026 under the company’s current schedule.

County staff and the committee discussed neighbor outreach; Ameren said it had reached an agreement on landscaping with the southwest neighbor and provided materials to the northwest neighbor who had no further questions. After committee discussion the chair called for a vote; the transcript records a numeric roll call spoken by the chair—“We've got 2, 4, 5, 5, 4, 1 against.”—and then the chair stated the matter would move to the full county board for consideration.