Gas

Ameren Missouri approved to build 800 MW simple-cycle facility at former coal site

The Castle Bluff Energy Center is expected to be ready to serve as a backup source of energy in 2027, and represents an investment of approximately $900 million.

Ameren Missouri approved to build 800 MW simple-cycle facility at former coal site
(A rendering of the Castle Bluff Energy Center. Source: Ameren Missouri.)

Ameren received approval from the Missouri Public Service Commission to build an 800 MW simple-cycle natural gas energy center at the site of the former coal-fired Meramec Energy Center, which Ameren retired in 2022.

The Castle Bluff Energy Center is expected to be ready to serve as a backup source of energy in 2027, and represents an investment of approximately $900 million. The center 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.

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. The project will take advantage of existing infrastructure and transmission line access on the site which the company already owns, which Ameren Missouri claims will help to reduce overall construction time and costs to customers.

Ameren Missouri also announced 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.

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.” 

Last September, Ameren released its 2023 Integrated Resource Plan, which included investments in natural gas, renewables and battery storage. One of the highlights of the IRP included building an 800 MW simple-cycle plant. Others included:

  • Moving back the previously announced addition of a combined-cycle energy center to 2033. This 1,200 MW facility is now scheduled to go in service following the retirement of the Sioux Energy Center in 2032.
  • Accelerating Ameren Missouri’s planned renewable energy additions by four years. The company plans to add 4,700 MW of new renewable energy by 2036. This represents a total potential investment of approximately $9.5 billion. The company maintains its goal of 2,800 MW by 2030.
  • Adding 800 MW of battery storage, including 400 MW by 2030 – five years earlier than previously planned – with an additional 400 MW of battery storage by 2035. This represents a total potential investment of $1.3 billion through 2035.
  • Planning 1,200 MW of clean, on-demand generation to be ready to serve customers in 2040 and an additional 1,200 MW by 2043.