Ameren Missouri now produces hundreds of megawatts of new solar energy that are lighting homes and businesses across the St. Louis region.
The utility announced in December that it had brought three new solar facilities online. These are the largest solar sites Ameren owns.
“This is going to be a big year for solar for Ameren,” said Robert Riegler, director of project management construction for Ameren Missouri Renewables. “Though we do have other solar projects, these three sites will, by far, move the needle for us the most.“
The utility can now generate up to 150 megawatts at a site in Cass County, Illinois; up to 150 megawatts at a White County, Illinois site; and up to 200 megawatts at a site that spans both Audrain and Ralls Counties in Missouri. Together, they produce enough energy to power up to 92,000 homes for a year, the utility said.
“We are transforming the energy grid to enhance reliability and resiliency for customers as well as provide cleaner energy to our communities,” Ameren Missouri chairman and president Mark Birk said in a statement.
While these new facilities represent a large leap forward for Ameren’s solar generation, they are still a relatively small portion of its overall portfolio. The potential 500 megawatt capacity of the three sites is about a fifth of the maximum generation of the Labadie coal plant in Franklin County, Missouri. In 2022, Ameren generated two thirds of its energy by burning coal.
The two new solar sites in Illinois will provide energy for Ameren’s Renewable Solutions Program, which allows businesses and other organizations to pay for renewable energy credits to meet their sustainability goals.
Ameren plans to have net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2045, according to the company’s integrated resource plan. The plan includes natural gas, a fossil fuel that causes planet-warming gas emissions. The company claims emissions from natural gas will be captured or offset. Ameren plans to build a natural gas power plant in 2027 in St. Louis County.
