Ameren Missouri Smart Energy Plan Meeting Held
Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, social distancing was the order of the day at the recent Ameren Missouri second annual public stakeholder meeting. Held before even stricter guidelines were issued, this meeting was structured to comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Missouri social distancing guidelines.
The March 16 meeting, in support of the Smart Energy Plan, provided an opportunity to visit various stations and learn more about Ameren Missouri’s accomplishments in the first year of the plan (in 2019), and what projects are being planned for the next 5 years. The meeting also provided an opportunity for stakeholders to ask questions and to provide their feedback about the plan. Comment cards were available as a means to collect any additional input from the public.
Mark Birk, senior vice president of Customer & Power Operations for Ameren Missouri, made a presentation on first year accomplishments (noted below) and answered questions about the Smart Energy Plan.
Executed First Year of SEP
2019 accomplishments
38% invested in Grid Modernization
$8M in Solar Rebates paid
900+ projects completed
Upgrades in 2019 are predicted to reduce the equivalent of one stormy day per year for Missouri**
Economic impact
Supported business growth throughout Missouri and was instrumental in the retention of 4,000 jobs in Wentzville
$5M+ increased tax revenue for local communities
~55% of suppliers are Missouri-based
"In 2019, we exceeded our energy grid investment target as we focused on replacing or upgrading substations, underground cables, system hardening and distribution automation," said Birk. "Our investment in those four categories alone totaled more than $100 million."
The 2020 – 2024 Smart Energy Plan shows another $6.4 billion capital investment (with about 44% going toward grid modernization) and another $1.2 billion for two new wind energy farms, bringing the total investment to $7.6 billion.
"This is a huge investment that benefits our customers as it continues to make their energy service even more reliable through automation and efficiency, both of which continue to help drive their energy costs down," said Birk. "We are also continuing to create jobs in our state, as we make these investments. This is more important than ever during this challenging time for our nation's economy."
You can see the 2019 Smart Energy Plan Look-Back video, shown at the Smart Energy Plan Stakeholder Meeting, at this link. https://vimeo.com/394237522