Naperville’s Electricity Problem

Agenda

Naperville Electricity Problem

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Financial & Contract Concerns

Environmental Impact

What You Can Do

Naperville’s electricity supplier is Illinois Municipal Electric Association (IMEA)

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80% of IMEA’s electricity comes from their two coal plants, so 80% of Naperville’s electricity is from burning coal

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City Council is considering extending our electricity contract with IMEA to 2055

Naperville’s Electricity Problem

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ENVIRONMENTALLY

DISASTROUS

• Coal is the dirtiest fossil fuel
• Coal pollution contributes to global warming. 2024 was the hottest year ever. 2023 was the next hottest year.
• IMEA’s main coal plant is one of the 10 dirtiest in America and is Illinois' top emitter of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide pollution

RISKY

• The Sierra Club is suing one of IMEA’s coal plants for operating without a permit
• State and Federal legislation over the next 30 years could affect our rates
• Electricity market is rapidly changing, so locking in for 30 years removes our opportunity to save money using emerging, clean technologies
• If IMEA can’t find buyers for their coal plants’ electricity, our rates could rise

EXPENSIVE $$$

• $2 Billion contract
• Locks in Naperville with supplier for 30 years
• No competitive bidding was done
• Cheaper energy sources are available
• Caps our ability to generate our own electricity and use batteries

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Extending the contract would be …

Naperville’s Electricity Problem

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• Naperville ratepayers would pay for the $2 Billion extension
• City Council didn’t request any competitive bids
• Historically, lower cost options were available
• The contract caps how much electricity we are allowed to generate or batteries we could add
• We lose the opportunity to take advantage of new, cheaper sources
• We would be extending a contract that doesn’t end for 15 years

2030 - First opportunity to ask to exit

Today

2055 – IMEA Proposed Extension

2040 - Current Contract Expires

2035 – Earliest Contract Can End

Financial & Contract Concerns

25 years ago, coal generated most of the U.S.’s electricity,

but that has declined to just 16%

Financial & Contract Concerns

Coal used to be a low-cost fuel,

but now others sources are much less expensive.

Financial & Contract Concerns

Coal

In 2024, 90% of the electricity added in the U.S. has been low-cost renewables

Financial & Contract Concerns

In the U.S., no one is planning to add coal plants, and unlike IMEA, many producers are retiring them

Naperville is an outlier, as 80% of our electricity is from burning coal.

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As a point of reference, 15% of Illinois’ electricity comes from coal

Financial & Contract Concerns

Status Quo Simulation by

MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative

2.8^o F

Our coal use is contributing to a rapidly warming planet.

Environmental Impact

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Over half of Naperville’s greenhouse gases

come from electricity

Environmental Impact

One of IMEA’s coal plants is in the top 10 dirtiest plants in the U.S. Burning coal releases toxins and pollutants that increase health problems, including asthma, cancer, heart problems, and neurological disorders

1. Send an email to the City Council telling them that you don’t want to extend the IMEA contract. The addresses are on the next page.
2. Vote on April 1, 2025, for city council members who align with your values
3. Tell your friends and ask them to send an email and vote
4. Attend the Naperville City Council Meeting on January 21 at 7 PM and stand with others to oppose the contract. Learn more at www.SayNoToCoal.com
5. Attend the City Council Candidates’ Forum at First Congregational Church on February 3 at 7 PM. Learn where candidates stand on this terrible contract and hold them accountable.
6. Write a letter to the editor - Naperville Sun, Daily Herald, Chicago Tribune
7. Use this link to see this presentation again or share information about Naperville’s Electricity Problem
8. Learn more at cleanenergynaperville.org and sustainnaperville.org

What You Can Do

Take Action!

The email addresses of the city council members are below, so you can also encourage them not to extend our electricity contract but instead clean up our pollution and get competitive bids from other companies. You can just copy and paste these email addresses into a note.

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WhiteB@naperville.il.us

KellyP@naperville.il.us

HolzhauerI@naperville.il.us

LongenbaughA@naperville.il.us

WehrliS@naperville.il.us

McbroomJ@naperville.il.us

WilsonN@naperville.il.us

LeongP@naperville.il.us

BruzanTaylorJ@naperville.il.us

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They are the email addresses for city council members Benny White, Patrick Kelly, Ian Holzhauer, Allison Longenbaugh, Scott Wehrli (mayor), Josh McBroom, Nate Wilson, Paul Leong, and Jennifer Bruzan Taylor, respectively.

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