Storm-hardening and electric grid upgrades underpin Ameren Missouri's request to update electric rates
Rate review request reflects improvements in service, keeps base rates below Midwest average
Ameren Missouri recently filed a rate review request with the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC) to recover the costs of upgrades to the electric grid. Already in service, these upgrades provide significant reliability and economic benefits to Missouri families and businesses. As a part of the request, the PSC will conduct an 11-month review before new base electric rates will take effect in mid-2027.
"Our responsibility is to provide safe, reliable and affordable service for Missouri families and businesses. Those customers expect the lights to come on every time they flip the switch, especially during the ever more frequent extreme weather," said Aaron Melda, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. "The investments we are making today are supporting reliability and strengthening storm resilience. The results are already showing up in fewer outages and better service for the communities we serve."
Melda noted that from January 2025 through May 2026, the installation of storm-resistant electric infrastructure and smart technology helped prevent more than 260,000 customer outages during major storms, reducing service disruptions for customers.
According to the Edison Electric Institute, Ameren Missouri's residential electric rates are approximately 27% below Midwest and national averages and are the lowest among Missouri's investor-owned utilities. Even if the full request is approved by the PSC, Ameren Missouri's residential electric rates are expected to remain well below the Midwest and national averages. As requested, the proposed change in electric rates would increase the average residential electric bill with 1,011 kilowatt-hours of usage by about $13 a month.
Key components of the rate review request:
Strengthening the grid and investing in smart technology through Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, which has made the electric system more dependable for families and businesses.
Upgrading energy generation sources to keep dependable power available when customers need it through improvements to the Labadie Energy Center and upgrades to the Audrain Energy Center to enable dual-fuel operation in extreme weather conditions.
Establishing a new income-eligible discount rate that offsets the proposed adjustment for Ameren Missouri's most vulnerable customers without increasing costs for everyone, which helps keep energy costs affordable for seniors and families on fixed incomes.
"As energy demand grows and weather becomes more extreme, maintaining dependable service for homes and businesses is critical," said Rob Dixon, vice president of regulatory, governmental and external affairs for Ameren Missouri.
Ameren Missouri's approach to responsibly serving new large load customers is aligned with 2025's Senate Bill 4. Bipartisan legislation passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the governor, this established one of the strictest laws in the country when it comes to supplying power to data centers and providing robust protections to customers. Currently, the company is not serving any large load data center customers, and the costs of infrastructure improvements required to serve announced data centers are not causing this rate review request. Further, Ameren Missouri customers are expected to see $21 million in projected base rate savings over the next two years, driven by committed data center customers.
"New data centers receive no discounts on their electric rates and are already beginning to pay for infrastructure that benefits all customers, making everyone's rates lower than they otherwise would be," said Dixon. "For example, commitments from new data center customers are expected to deliver about $11 million a year in base rate savings for other customers, showing how growth can make everyone's rates lower than they otherwise would be."
The company's Powering Missouri Growth Plan includes numerous provisions to ensure data centers – not other customers – pay for the costs to serve them, requiring they pay upfront 100% of all costs associated with hooking up to the energy grid, among other protections.
To learn more about the request, in addition to available energy assistance for those needing help with their energy bill, please visit AmerenMissouri.com/InvestingInMissouri.