ComEd, CSL Highlight Completion of New Electrical Substation to Serve Kankakee Plant, Support Continued Regional Economic Growth

​ComEd continues to deliver power infrastructure needed to support growing business technology needs across northern Illinois

BRADLEY, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ComEd today joined CSL, a global biotherapeutics company, and local partners to highlight the completion of a new electrical substation that will power CSL Behring’s growing operations and enhance regional power infrastructure. The new 5.6-acre substation is located next to CSL’s 140-acre campus in Kankakee County, the company’s only U.S. manufacturing center. The completion of the substation provides additional power capacity to serve the company’s growing manufacturing needs, contributing to the site's operational excellence and bringing enhanced power reliability to the area.

“In addition to offering the best reliability in the nation, ComEd is proud to deliver the infrastructure upgrades to help CSL meet growing power needs as it builds on 70 years of success in Kankakee County,” said Terence Donnelly, President and COO of ComEd. “In addition to supporting their power needs, this substation plays a key role in the continued economic growth of the region. ComEd is proud to continue to invest in the vital infrastructure needed to help businesses meet their goals for a cleaner and more resilient future.”

CSL Behring, which began as Armour Laboratories, is celebrating this year’s 70^th anniversary of its manufacturing headquarters in Kankakee County. More than 1,500 employees are based at the 1.8 million square foot plant, which manufactures life-saving medicines and conducts research.

“The importance of this project provides CSL Behring with a reliable power source so we can continue manufacturing our lifesaving products to our patients without any disruptions,” says Abner Garcia-Delgado, CSL Behring Site Head. “This is paramount to our Patient Focus value. We are impressed with the completion of the substation, the professionalism and the collaboration with ComEd who is providing clean, affordable, and reliable power service to CSL Behring. This electrical substation is part of Kankakee’s reliability and sustainability strategy.”

Hundreds of ComEd employees and its contractors logged nearly 25,000 hours during construction of the substation. Construction on the site was led by general contractors, Lindblad and Gilbane, with participation by diverse and local suppliers. New transmission system improvements, including delivery of new transformers and circuit breakers, enhance CSL Behring’s power reliability and improve economic vitality for the region.

"This is a strong example of what doing business in Kankakee County looks like," said Tim Nugent, President and CEO of the Economic Alliance of Kankakee County. "An investment and partnership like this between CSL and ComEd reinforce how important manufacturing is in this region and across the state, and how impactful a strong relationship can be in getting good work accomplished."

ComEd worked closely with CSL Behring and local partners within Kankakee County and the Village of Bradley to coordinate approvals for construction, including those related to site enhancements necessary to ensure safe and reliable power flow from the new substation. CSL Behring invested $35 million in below-ground site improvements roadway enhancements and surrounding infrastructure upgrades to support the new bulk power substation.

"The completion of this project is great news for the region. Guaranteeing reliable energy for CSL helps support the 1,500 jobs at the facility and is vital for ensuring the life-saving biotherapies produced there make it to the people who need them,” said State Senator Patrick Joyce, 40^th District. “I applaud ComEd and CSL for working together to make this happen."

The addition of the new substation is just the latest example of how ComEd is delivering 21^st century infrastructure needed to maintain reliable service for its customers. Continued investment in the system through the Smart Grid program, which began in 2012, is helping yield significant improvements in reliability, with customers avoiding 19 million outages and saving more than $3.3 billion on outage-related costs.

“I want to thank ComEd and all of the stakeholders involved in making this new CSL substation a reality,” said State Representative Jackie Haas, 79^th District. “Both CSL and ComEd are committed partners in this project with the goal of community growth and development. I look forward to a continued partnership with both CSL and ComEd as we move our state towards a brighter future.”

ComEd's ongoing grid investments continue to enhance the region’s ability to meet growing business technology needs, attracting new investments. So far in 2023, ComEd has attracted 13 new projects representing 4,100 jobs and $5.9 billion in local investment, with many businesses choosing northern Illinois for its best in the nation electric reliability. Additionally, ComEd’s multi-year grid investment plan, currently pending with the Illinois Commerce Commission, would ensure the grid remains strong and resilient amid increasingly severe weather due to climate change and as market adoption of all-electric technologies is expected to increase in years ahead.

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state's population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.