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Ameren Missouri acquires second wind energy center

A second wind energy generation facility has been acquired by Ameren Missouri. A portion of the new center in northwest Missouri is already running and in service, producing renewable energy as construction continues on some of the project turbines.

Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), closed on the acquisition of the company’s second wind energy center, a 300-megawatt (MW) project located in northwest Missouri. Clean, renewable energy from the facility is already reaching customers, even as construction continues on some of the project turbines. Approximately 100 MW are now in-service, with an additional 50 MW to 75 MW expected by the end of March. The remaining 125 to 150 MW are expected to be operational later this year.

The new Atchison Renewable Energy Center, along with the 400 MW High Prairie Renewable Energy Center that Ameren Missouri began operating in December, will add 700 MW of in-state wind generation to the grid. The total investment in these two projects is approximately $1.1 billion.

“Ameren Missouri is taking major steps forward in our transformation to clean energy with the addition of these two large facilities,” said Marty Lyons, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. “We’re planning for the long term with deep carbon reductions to achieve our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

The new energy centers are the first of many renewable energy additions anticipated by Ameren Missouri. The company recently released plans to invest approximately $4.5 billion in 3,100 MW of renewable generation by 2030, including the Atchison and High Prairie renewable energy centers.

“Missouri-based clean energy is good for our customers, the environment and the economy,” said Ajay Arora, chief renewable development officer at Ameren Missouri. “The ongoing operation of these facilities is the next step in getting the energy we provide as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without compromising on reliability or affordability.”

The remaining portion of the Atchison Renewable Energy Center wind facility is still being constructed by Invenergy. It is the fourth utility-scale wind energy facility operating in the county, which will soon have a combined wind generation capacity of approximately 800 MW, the most of any county in Missouri.