JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Ameren Missouri is continuing to look forward to alternative forms of energy, and their latest announcement marks one of their biggest step to date.
On Monday, the company announced that it had entered into an agreement to acquire -after the construction of – a 400-megawatt wind farm in northeast Missouri.
It would be the largest wind farm to ever exist in the state.
“We are excited to take this transformative step to bring more renewable generation to our customers,” said Michael Moehn, president of Ameren Missouri. “Adding more wind energy will help us achieve our goal to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050.”
The facility would be built by an affiliate of Terra-Gen, LLC in Adair and Schuyler counties, with the groundbreaking expected to begin in the summer of 2019.
The wind farm will consist of 175 American-made wind turbines that will stand more than 450 feet above the ground. These types of turbines will be among the most technologically advanced in the state. Energy produced by the wind farm will power an estimated 120,000 homes by 2020.
“This major wind development would benefit our customers, the communities we serve and the environment,” said Ajay Arora, vice president of power operations and energy management at Ameren Missouri. “Missouri-based wind generation recently became an affordable option. These planned investments in wind energy would help keep customers’ rates more stable over time. Our state would also benefit from continued investment and economic growth, including hundreds of construction jobs, as well as permanent jobs when the turbines are in service.”
The wind farm is enabled by the expanded transmission capacity made possible by Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois’ Mark Twain Transmission Project, approved in January by the Missouri Public Service Commission (PSC). The Mark Twain Transmission Project has a targeted in-service date of December 2019.
“The new transmission line is vital to the expansion of renewable energy generation and distribution in Missouri,” Moehn said. “In addition to being an engine for economic growth, the Mark Twain Transmission Project will strengthen our region’s energy grid and deliver greater energy reliability.”
Ameren says that Monday’s announcement is the first major step in implementing their Integrated Resource Plan, a 20-year outlook that supports cleaner energy in the state, consistent with Missouri’s Renewable Energy Standard passed by voters in 2008.
Planned investments include approximately $1 billion to build wind generation projects in Missouri and possibly neighboring states, resulting in at least 700 megawatts of new wind-generated energy by 2020. This wind farm would meet more than half of that planned capacity.
Ameren Missouri also expects to add 100 megawatts of solar-generated energy over the next 10 years, with 50 megawatts targeted to come online by 2025.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
