Ameren Missouri receives approval to build vital dispatchable
energy source and closes on three solar generation projects in
2024
ST.
LOUIS, Oct. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren
Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), received
approval Wednesday from the Missouri Public Service Commission to
build an 800-megawatt (MW) simple-cycle natural gas energy center
expected to be ready to serve as a reliable backup source of energy
in 2027. The Castle Bluff Energy Center represents an
investment of approximately $900
million.
Castle Bluff is designed to deliver energy on the coldest winter
days, the hottest summer afternoons and back up the grid when
renewable energy generation is otherwise unavailable.
"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 aspects of Castle Bluff is the ability to start
up on demand and quickly change the level of energy it provides to
the grid. On-site construction at Castle Bluff is expected to start
next month and create hundreds of construction jobs and several
permanent jobs, as well as produce additional tax revenue for the
region. Whenever possible, Ameren Missouri hires local and diverse
vendors and contractors. By taking advantage of existing
infrastructure and transmission line access on the site which the
company already owns, Ameren Missouri will be able to reduce
overall construction time and costs to customers.
"When solar energy predictably rises and then falls every day,
it is vital to have Castle Bluff as a backup and working as a
partner to renewables," said Ajay
Arora, senior vice president and chief development
officer at Ameren Missouri.
Ameren Missouri is also announcing it has acquired the Huck Finn
Renewable Energy Center, a 200-MW solar facility in Audrain and Ralls counties in Missouri. Huck Finn is the third utility-scale
solar facility Ameren Missouri has acquired this year. The Boomtown
and Cass County Renewable Energy Centers were acquired earlier this
year. Together, the three solar facilities have a combined capacity
of 500 MW and represent a total acquisition cost of approximately
$900 million. 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," Birk
said.
Combined, the three facilities are anticipated to generate
energy sufficient to power 92,000 homes annually.
Ameren Missouri acquired the 150-MW Cass County Renewable Energy
Center in June. Located in Cass County,
Illinois, it will serve Ameren Missouri's Renewable
Solutions program. The 150-MW Boomtown Renewable Energy Center is
in White County, Illinois, and
will also serve the Renewable Solutions program. The Boomtown
Renewable Energy Center was acquired in late September.
"As final testing wraps up on Huck Finn, Cass County and Boomtown, we are also working
toward the successful construction of another 400 MW of solar
generation across three additional projects," Arora said. "We
expect these Missouri projects,
located in Bowling Green,
Vandalia and Warren County, will be ready to serve
customers in late 2025 and in 2026."
Ameren Missouri continues to execute its Integrated Resource
Plan, last updated in September 2023,
which includes anticipated investments of $6
billion in renewable and dispatchable generation by 2028,
inclusive of today's announcement, as part of the company's plans
to build and maintain a diverse generation portfolio.
Further details about Ameren Missouri's least-cost approach to
reliably meet customers' energy needs in an environmentally
responsible manner are available at
AmerenMissouri.com/Reliable.
About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for
more than 100 years. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the
quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 135,000 natural
gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64
counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater
St. Louis area. For more
information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us at
@AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
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SOURCE Ameren Missouri