Data centers and new power in Winnebago County, IL
450 MW of new power is waiting to connect to the grid in Winnebago County, IL — 2 active requests. Typical wait: 5.3 years. 5 projects are built, 17 withdrawn. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Is one near your house?
We have not mapped a large AI data center inside Winnebago County itself — but we track the biggest ones nationally, and requests to connect new power here are on the public record.
What is happening with electricity in Winnebago County
Every new power plant, battery or big customer has to join a waiting list before it can plug into the grid. This is what that list looks like in Winnebago County right now.
Where every request ever filed here ended up
Most requests in the US are withdrawn — a developer tests a site and moves on. That is normal, not a warning sign for Winnebago County.
What kind of power is asking to connect
By capacity requested. Data as of 14 October 2026.
All the numbers
24 requests ever filed
Source: interconnection queues published by PJM. Parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Data as of 14 October 2026. A queued project is a request, not a commitment.
Outcome of every request filed here
| Outcome | Projects | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built | 5 | 1.2 GW | 20.8% |
| Still waiting | 2 | 450 MW | 8.3% |
| Withdrawn | 17 | 2.0 GW | 70.8% |
| Paused | 0 | — | 0.0% |
Waiting to connect, by type of power
| Type | Projects | Capacity requested |
|---|---|---|
| Batteries | 1 | 330 MW |
| Solar | 1 | 120 MW |
Key dates for projects here
no dated windows published
| Queue | What closes | Closes | Standing |
|---|---|---|---|
| PJM | Dominion GS-5 (Virginia SCC PUR-2025-00058) - ESAs signed on or after this date carry the 14-year term From this date the GS-5 large-load tariff carries a 14-year minimum term, alongside the reported 85% of contracted transmission demand minimum and $1… | No date published yet | disputed source |
| FERC | FERC large-load show cause — stakeholder comments on RTO responses Comments on the six RTO/ISO responses to the FPA section 206 show-cause orders of 18 June 2026 (PJM EL26-67, SPP EL26-68, NYISO EL26-69, MISO EL26-70… | No date published yet | unconfirmed source |
| FERC | FERC RM26-4 — generic large-load rulemaking Still at ANOPR stage. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
| FERC | Georgia PSC - Georgia Power must file large-load contracts 30 days before execution A standing obligation rather than a dated one: large-load contracts must be filed with the commission at least 30 days before they are executed. | No date published yet | confirmed source |
A date marked confirmed was checked by a person against the authority's own tariff, order or form page. Anything else is listed so you know it exists, with a link so you can check it yourself. Full calendar.
The biggest projects on file
top 15 by size
| Project | Type | Capacity | Status | Filed | Queue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockford | Natural gas | 360 MW | completed | 2017-03 | PJM |
| Rockford II 138 kV | Batteries | 330 MW | active | 2021-09 | PJM |
| Rockford | Natural gas | 320 MW | completed | 2016-10 | PJM |
| Wempletown 345 kV | Solar | 224 MW | withdrawn | 2021-09 | PJM |
| Wempletown 345kV | Wind | 200 MW | withdrawn | 2004-04 | PJM |
| Wempletown-Byron 345kV | Wind | 200 MW | withdrawn | 2005-07 | PJM |
| Wempletown 345 kV | Solar | 200 MW | withdrawn | 2018-03 | PJM |
| Rockford II | Natural gas | 180 MW | completed | 2017-03 | PJM |
| Wempletown 138 kV | Solar | 175 MW | withdrawn | 2021-09 | PJM |
| Wempletown 138 kV | Batteries | 175 MW | withdrawn | 2021-09 | PJM |
| Rockford II | Natural gas | 173 MW | completed | 2016-10 | PJM |
| Wempletown 138 kV | Solar | 160 MW | withdrawn | 2022-03 | PJM |
| Wempletown 138 kV | Batteries | 160 MW | withdrawn | 2022-03 | PJM |
| Sabrooke 138kV | Natural gas | 153 MW | completed | 2008-12 | PJM |
| Wempletown 138 kV | Solar | 150 MW | withdrawn | 2018-03 | PJM |
How Winnebago County compares
#660 in the US · #49 in IL
Winnebago County ranks #660 of 1,607 US counties by power waiting to connect, and #49 of 64 in Illinois.
| County | Waiting | Capacity queued |
|---|---|---|
| Lee County | 12 | 6.4 GW |
| Will County | 5 | 4.3 GW |
| McLean County | 11 | 2.9 GW |
| Ogle County | 5 | 2.9 GW |
| LaSalle County | 7 | 2.8 GW |
| Christian County | 8 | 2.3 GW |
| Peoria County | 7 | 2.1 GW |
| Tazewell County | 10 | 1.9 GW |
Common questions about power in Winnebago County
How long does it take to get power for a data center in Winnebago County, IL?
The median wait for a project still in the interconnection queue in Winnebago County is 5.3 years. Across the US, most large loads are quoted three to seven years depending on the market and whether network upgrades are needed. 5 projects in Winnebago County have reached energization and 17 were withdrawn, so the withdrawal rate here is a better guide to risk than any single quoted timeline.
How much capacity is available in Winnebago County, IL?
450 MW is currently requested across 2 active interconnection requests, and 1.2 GW has actually been built. A queued megawatt is a request, not deliverable capacity — most queued projects are never built. For deliverable offtake capacity at a specific substation you need a utility study, not a queue.
Is Winnebago County, IL a good site for a data center?
This page gives you the power half of that answer: what is queued, what has been energized, how long the wait runs, and which large load interconnection requests are already recorded nearby. The other half — the state policy position, moratoriums and large load tariffs — is on our Illinois policy page.
Where does the data on this page come from?
The interconnection queue published by the transmission providers serving Winnebago County — PJM — parsed and normalised by Watt Street. Every figure carries the date it was true. Data as of 14 October 2026.
Go deeper on Winnebago County
The interactive map plots every one of these applications, and a generated county report puts them in a sourced PDF with the date each figure was true on every page.
Open Winnebago County on the map County reports All of Illinois