JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Several issues pertaining to Ameren were before the Public Service Commission (PSC) during its weekly meeting Wednesday morning.
In particular, the commission approved an order regarding Ameren’s request to sell a transformer to SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. The transformer, which will be sold for more than $15,000, serves an oncology facility at the hospital, the commission said.
Commissioners said they didn’t believe the sale would impact Ameren’s ability to provide service or have a negative effect on customers.
Additionally, the PSC sided with Ameren in a case versus Jill Covington Beatty — a Cape Girardeau woman who alleged the electric company had overcharged her. Commissioners approved the order dismissing her claims.
“After reviewing the record and the testimony, I don’t think Ameren violated any statute, rule, or tariff in connection to its service to Ms. Beatty,” PSC Chairman Ryan Silvey said.
Last week, the PSC approved Ameren’s request for a certificate of convenience and necessity (CCN) for a planned wind farm in Atchison County.
The wind farm will be developed by Enel Kansas LLC, and is expected to create an estimated 300 construction jobs, Ajay Arora, vice president of Power Operations and Energy Management of Ameren Missouri, told The Missouri Times.
The PSC on Wednesday also moved forward with an order regarding a rehearing over Spire Missouri’s change in its infrastructure system replacement surcharge rates in its east and west territories in the state — an issue the PSC took up late last month.
“I believe we’re making the right decision,” Commissioner William Kenney said.
The commission also suspended Empire District Electric Company’s requested increased tariff rates for electric service provided to customers in Missouri until July 2020 and set a pre-hearing conference for September.
The PSC’s next agenda meeting is scheduled for Aug. 28 at 9:30 a.m.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
