Ameren Missouri announces milestones in reliable energy investments
Utility company receives approval to build new dispatchable power plant and closes on three solar generation projects
Ameren Missouri recently received approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to build an 800-megawatt (MW) simple-cycle natural gas energy center to serve as a reliable backup source of energy. The Castle Bluff Energy Center is designed to deliver energy on the coldest winter days, the hottest summer afternoons and back up the energy grid when needed.
The Castle Bluff Energy Center represents a significant investment in reliable energy for Ameren Missouri's customers.
"Our customers depend on Ameren Missouri to continue investing in reliability, whether that's through new sources of on-demand energy, including Castle Bluff, or strengthening the grid by replacing aging infrastructure," said Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. "Through these continued investments, we are ensuring that we have a reliable and resilient energy system to serve customers today and well into the future."
One of the key attributes of the Castle Bluff Energy Center will be its ability to start up on demand and quickly change the level of energy it provides to the grid. On-site construction at the new power plant is expected to begin soon and will create hundreds of construction jobs and several permanent jobs, as well as produce additional tax revenue for the region. Overall, the project represents an investment of approximately $900 million in St. Louis County.
Ameren Missouri also announces it has acquired the Huck Finn Renewable Energy Center, a 200-MW solar facility in Audrain and Ralls counties. Huck Finn represents the third utility-scale solar facility Ameren Missouri has acquired this year. Additionally, the Boomtown and Cass County Renewable Energy Centers were acquired earlier in 2024. Together, these three solar facilities have a combined capacity of 500 MW. All three are in the later stages of development and are expected to begin producing energy for customers by the end of this year.
"We're delivering on our strategy to invest in energy infrastructure for the benefit of our customers with these three facilities representing the next step in providing our customers with a diverse generation portfolio of low-cost energy," said Birk.
Combined, the three facilities are anticipated to generate enough energy to power 92,000 homes annually. To learn more about Ameren Missouri's plan to reliably and responsibly meet their customers' energy needs, please visit AmerenMissouri.com/reliable.