ST. LOUIS - Today Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), takes another important step toward bringing more renewable energy to customers by announcing the planned acquisition of the company's largest-ever solar facility, a 200 megawatt (MW) solar installation in central Missouri that is expected to create more than 250 construction jobs.
The facility will be acquired pursuant to a build-transfer agreement with EDF Renewables, a company with a longstanding track record of developing and building renewable energy facilities. Known as the Huck Finn Solar Project, it is planned to be constructed on the border of Missouri's Audrain and Ralls counties. Huck Finn is expected to produce enough energy to power approximately 40,000 homes. With timely regulatory approvals, the project could begin generating clean energy as soon as 2024.
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"Developing Huck Finn is good for all of our customers because it provides clean electricity, creates economic opportunity, and injects millions of dollars into the community over the life of the project, which will have widespread additional benefits," said Mark Birk, chairman, and president of Ameren Missouri.
The facility is a step-change for solar generation in Missouri, and its announcement comes just days after Ameren Missouri updated its comprehensive plan to safeguard long-term energy reliability and resiliency for Missourians, a plan that also accelerates Ameren's companywide net-zero carbon emissions goal to 2045, five years sooner than previously planned.
"We're focused on the two items customers say are most important to them: reliability and affordability," Birk said. "The thoughtfully planned additions of renewable generation over time keeps the grid reliable and resilient while also managing costs."
Huck Finn is designed to generate more than 25 times the amount of energy of Missouri'slargest existing solar facility. It is the latest project to be part of Ameren Missouri's planned addition of 2,800 MW in new, clean renewable generation by 2030 and the ninth solar facility that the company has announced or put in service since 2019. Together, these nine facilities represent more than 360 MW of clean energy generation capacity. During that time, Ameren Missouri has installed solar generation in underutilized locations including a parking garage, next to an airport runway, and in partnership with community-based organizations working in underserved neighborhoods.
"Our customers will benefit from technological improvements that make solar generation an adaptable resource where we can get more energy from previously unused locations, including parking lots and garage rooftops," said Ajay Arora, chief renewable development officer at Ameren Missouri. "In the coming months, we anticipate taking more steps to demonstrate Ameren Missouri's commitment to clean energy generation."
The terms of the agreement between Ameren Missouri and EDF are confidential.
About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas services 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 on Twitter at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
