Governor signs Power Predictability and Reliability Act into law

Legislation aims to secure Missouri's energy future and power economic growth

With the stroke of his pen, the governor signed Senate Bill 4 into law. A wide-ranging utility bill, SB 4 includes language establishing the Power Predictability and Reliability Act. This measure aims to reduce the disincentives energy companies face when investing in new, on-demand natural gas power plants and accelerate their deployment.

In addition to the Power Predictability and Reliability Act, SB 4 contains more than 20 measures, many of them involving electric, natural gas and water utilities. The legislation includes several reforms requested by the Public Service Commission (PSC), allows construction work in progress accounting for new natural gas power plants, changes to the Integrated Resource Planning process and more. Additionally, SB 4 provides increased funding for the PSC and the Office of Public Counsel, the state's official consumer advocate, and extends several new consumer protection measures to customers of the state's investor-owned utilities.

On April 9, the governor signed Senate Bill 4 into law before lawmakers from both legislative chambers. Photo courtesy of the governor's office.

"With this legislation, Missouri is well-positioned to attract new industry, support job growth and maintain affordable, reliable energy for our citizens," said Gov. Mike Kehoe. "This is about powering Missouri for Missourians and not relying on other states and countries to produce our power. This legislation strengthens our economic development opportunities, helps secure our energy independence and provides consumer protections to build a resilient energy future for generations to come."

During a presentation to the PSC in August, the Missouri Department of Economic Development reported several large-scale, business-related projects in its planning pipeline requiring more than a gigawatt of power each. According to the department, these projects represent the potential of thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars of investment in the Show-Me State.

From Ameren Missouri's perspective, the company has seen the average power demand climb sharply for new economic development projects considering a location in their service territory. In 2019, the power needs of the average economic development project were 3.2 MW. Today, the average project considering Ameren Missouri's service territory needs more than 180 MW of power.

"This legislation positions Missouri to seize on potential economic development opportunities that could provide thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of new investment from new and existing businesses, while providing new consumer protections for our existing customers," said Tina Shannon, senior director of government relations for Ameren Missouri. "We appreciate the hard work and diligence of stakeholders and members of the Missouri House and Senate in getting this legislation passed, and we are glad to see it signed into law by the governor."

As SB 4 went through the legislative process, it received bipartisan support from lawmakers in both chambers. With the bill now signed into law, it will go into effect on Aug. 28.