Callaway Energy Center celebrates 40th anniversary

Nuclear plant looks ahead to decades of continued production of reliable energy

Ameren Missouri recently commemorated 40 years since the Callaway Energy Center achieved full power for the first time. The energy center, which has been in operation since 1984, has received a 20-year extension on its operating license from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and has been approved to operate until 2044.

Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center generates approximately 9.2 million megawatt-hours of electricity – enough to power about 800,000 average households.

“Callaway Energy Center has been a fixture in Ameren Missouri’s energy portfolio for four decades as a safe source of reliable, carbon-free energy for our community,” said Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri.

The 1,284 MW-generating facility is the second largest in Ameren Missouri's fleet and is the company's only nuclear power plant. Prior to the construction of the plant, more than 70 sites were considered across four states before the current site in Callaway County was selected for the energy center.

“Callaway is a vital component of our long-term plans to meet our customers’ rising energy needs while keeping bills as low as possible. At the same time, it will continue providing hundreds of good-paying jobs and tax dollars in support of the community,” Birk said.

An iconic image of the plant, the Callaway Energy Center's cooling tower stands 553 feet tall — 77 feet shorter than the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. When operating at full power, the tower can cool 585,000 gallons of water per minute. A major source of economic development in the area, the nuclear power plant provides jobs for more than 700 Ameren Missouri employees and contractors, with hundreds more brought in during the plant's refueling outages, which occur every 18 months. For more information on the Callaway Energy Center, please visit ameren.com/missouri/company/environment-and-sustainability/nuclear.