SPRINGFIELD — A proposal to bring more power online in Illinois to meet high demand and potentially help curb rising electric bills was sent to Gov. JB Pritzker after state lawmakers passed the plan Thursday.

The measure is aimed at creating more power in Illinois as the state and the country face a rising demand for electricity from big data centers.

A major piece of the plan is the funding of giant battery storage, which aims to capture power during points of low demand, store it and release it when there is high demand.

Electric customers will foot the cost with future charges on their monthly utility bills. The giant batteries are especially key to capturing renewable wind and solar power that does not produce electricity around the clock. As coal plants, once the dominant source of

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