Illinois Commerce Commission Approves ComEd GRIT Transmission Project in Cook County and DuPage County

The approved project addresses new electricity demand in Wood Dale and Elk Grove Village, including multiple large-load customers.

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10/22/2026 - 02:40 PM EDT

Underground transmission investment will strengthen reliability, add operational flexibility, and support economic growth near O’Hare

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- ComEd today announced Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) approval of the Grid Reliability Infrastructure Transformation (GRIT) Project, which will add new underground transmission lines to strengthen the electric grid, enhance service for customers and support economic growth in Elk Grove Village, City of Wood Dale, and Village of Bensenville areas. ComEd received a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN), which enables a public utility to construct major infrastructure following public review of the need for the project, its design, and public benefits.

“The ICC’s approval of GRIT provides a clear path to make a critical investment in the transmission system serving one of northern Illinois’ most important economic corridors,” said ComEd Executive Vice President and COO David Perez. “This project will give our operators greater flexibility to move power through the region, strengthen resilience during extreme weather and other unexpected events, and help ensure reliable service as communities and businesses grow.”

The GRIT transmission project consists of four underground 138kV electric transmission lines and one new substation. It creates a new underground transmission ring connecting three substations, which allows power to flow in multiple directions. If part of the system experiences a reliability issue, ComEd will have an alternate pathway to reroute power, helping reduce the number and duration of service interruptions and improving the flexibility and resilience of the regional grid.

Construction of the project begins this fall with grading and drainage for the Dierking substation in the Elk Grove Village area near the Elmhurst Road corridor. Transmission underground work in the other areas begins in January of next year and will be completed in the second quarter of 2029 when the GRIT project will be placed into service. ComEd will coordinate with local authorities throughout construction and the livening process.

ComEd engaged customers and communities throughout the routing planning process, holding two rounds of in-person public open houses in Cook and DuPage counties, as well as a virtual public open house in 2025. Feedback from residents, property owners, local governments, and other stakeholders helped inform the transmission line route selection and ComEd’s CPCN application to the ICC.

The GRIT project is necessary to provide adequate, efficient and reliable service to the existing customers and new energy load, including multiple large-load customers that have entered the Wood Dale and Elk Grove Village areas, creating the need for new transmission lines to enable regional substations to efficiently route power and maintain reliability.

The underground design reflects the project area’s proximity to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where Federal Aviation Administration height restrictions limit the feasibility of overhead transmission structures. Underground construction is also better suited to the area’s developed and congested landscape.

ComEd does not build new grid capacity without a demonstrated need. Investments are driven by actual customer demand and forecasted customer demand, including customer service requests and deposits. This helps ensure infrastructure is built where and when it is needed.

For more information:
www.comed.com/smart-energy/innovation-technology/reliability-improvements/grit-project

ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 company and one of the nation’s largest utility companies, serving more than 10.7 million electricity and natural gas customers. 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, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and YouTube.