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natural gas
Illinois
600 megawatts
case study
Nelson Energy Center
How it came together
Nelson Energy Center’s story, like Invenergy’s as a whole, is a story of transition. It began when we purchased the half-completed facility in 2004 from a bankruptcy proceeding, where 1,000 construction workers had been put out of work. Resuming construction in 2013, the 600-megawatt natural-gas combined-cycle project, located in Lee County, Illinois, achieved its commercial operation date in May 2015. Invenergy later completed a 380-megawatt expansion at Nelson Energy Center that achieved commercial operations in 2023.
During construction on Nelson's expansion in 2022, Invenergy announced Nelson Energy Center would start working with Sauk Valley to develop our first clean hydrogen project, generating clean energy from a nearby solar facility. The clean hydrogen project began commercial operations in March 2025.
What sets it apart
At the time Nelson was built, crews installed state-of-the-art combustion and steam turbines to help maximize the site’s energy output and efficiency while also reducing its emissions. Nelson also has an on-site water treatment plant to help purify the water the site uses.
However, that’s far from where Nelson’s story ends. Invenergy’s leadership team saw the potential to use the site for much more. So, in 2022, we announced our Sauk Valley clean hydrogen project, now in commercial operations and located on five acres of land near Nelson Energy Center. Invenergy powers the hydrogen facility with clean energy, using our expertise in co-locating clean energy technologies to pair the site with Sauk Valley’s nearby solar array.
Sauk Valley can produce up to 40 metric tons of clean hydrogen annually with the capacity to store up to 400 kilograms of clean hydrogen on site. Sauk Valley’s initial hydrogen supply has been used as a turbine generator cooling agent at the adjacent Nelson Energy Center. The loading capability at Sauk Valley also enables hydrogen to be shipped and used offsite. Sauk Valley’s first offsite order will be delivered by Certarus to an Aether Fuels project.
What's the impact
Nelson Energy Center’s construction employed 350 workers, and the site is operated and maintained by more than two dozen full-time employees. Nelson and its expansion generate enough energy to power more than 379,000 homes annually, and the project has invested more than $990,000 into the community through state and local taxes, as well as more than $3.7 million in wages and benefits.
Nelson and Sauk Valley serve as a proven testing ground for Invenergy's all-of-the-above approach to energy in the Midwest, with three clean energy technologies located on site.
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