Elmhurst substation in Illinois undergoes construction to meet regional growth

Construction began this week on ComEd’s Elmhurst transmission substation in DuPage County, Ill., heralding the expansion of the 345 kV facility meant to maintain reliability for existing customers and enable future capacity upgrades for regional growth.

Construction is expected to continue to December 2025, and should then help modernize the grid in the face of accelerated adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), residential heat pumps and solar deployments in northern Illinois. Updates here will allow ComEd to increase the high-voltage transmission capacity in the region-at-large.

“ComEd is proud to maintain and grow the most reliable grid in the country, which requires proactive planning to meet the future power needs of our customers,” Mark Baranek, senior vice president technical services at ComEd. “Investments like the expansion of the Elmhurst substation will ensure the grid is primed to support local business growth for many years to come.”

In all, the project should cost $93 million. Engineering and design began last year, but construction only recently got underway. The company added that customers currently served by Elmhurst should not face any interruptions in power delivery from the construction.

“This investment in critical infrastructure means DuPage County residents can now benefit from the increased resiliency of the transmission system and find their electric power is more reliable, especially during high-use periods and inclement weather. It’s important that these upgrades take place now, while also providing for future enhancements based on the residential and business needs of our community,” Deborah Conroy, DuPage County Board Chair, said.