Lawmakers tour Taum Sauk Energy Center

Ameren Missouri hosts members of the Missouri General Assembly for behind-the-scenes tour of the pumped-storage hydroelectric plant  

On Thursday, June 15, more than 40 freshman members of the Missouri House of Representatives and Senate toured Ameren Missouri's Taum Sauk Energy Center in Reynolds County. The Taum Sauk Energy Center is located approximately 120 miles southwest of St. Louis in the scenic Ozark highlands. It began operation in 1963 and the upper reservoir was rebuilt in 2010.

This pumped-storage hydroelectric facility is used for short periods when the demand for electricity is greatest. Water stored in the upper reservoir is released to flow through turbines and into a lower reservoir. As water passes through the powerhouse, it spins the turbines, which drive generators to produce electricity. Overnight, or when the demand for electricity is low, the water is pumped back into the upper reservoir, where it is stored until needed.

Missouri legislators and staff join Ameren Missouri leaders atop the upper reservoir at the Taum Sauk Energy Center on June 15, 2023.

"The tour offered us an opportunity to see up-close how Ameren Missouri works to provide reliable energy to our state," said Rep. Del Taylor, D-St. Louis. "We spent time learning about the upper reservoir, the engineering methods used to reconstruct the reservoir and how the powerhouse operates when demand for electricity is high." 

Ameren Missouri’s Taum Sauk Pumped-Storage Hydroelectric Plant can generate up to 440 megawatts at full capacity. The upper reservoir, with walls close to 100 feet tall, is capable of holding about 1.5 billion gallons of water. To learn more about the Taum Sauk Energy Center, visit ameren.com/missouri/company/environment-and-sustainability/hydroelectric/taum-sauk meren Missouri.