Southeast Chicago Energy Project is a 352-megawatt (MW) generating facility located in the southeast section of Chicago, Ill.
The eight-unit facility provides much needed peak generation to the city of Chicago during periods of high electric demand in the summer and winter months. Each unit at Southeast Chicago is rated at 44 MW and runs on natural gas.
One of the first new gas-fired facilities sited within the city of Chicago, it was hailed as one of the cleanest, most modern, and efficient generating stations in the United States.
Southeast Chicago Energy Project was built as a joint effort between Exelon and PERC Power Generation, a unit of Peoples Energy Corporation and was completed in 2002. Exelon has since become 100 percent owned of the plant.
Southeast Chicago Energy Project is a Level-1 Blackstart facility. In the event of a major power system failure, Southeast Chicago Energy Project will be used to re-energize the electric system and bring other regional power plants back online.