Ameren, EDF Renewables Terminate 157-Megawatt Wind Project, Citing High Costs

Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, announced on July 25 that it no longer plans to acquire a 157-megawatt wind facility in northwest Missouri as the transmission upgrades required to accommodate the project would lead to “unacceptably high costs.”

Ameren said it has mutually agreed with EDF Renewables Inc. to cancel the development of the project. The company, though, expressed its commitment to meet the goal of owning at least 700 megawatts of wind generation by the end of next year. Ameren has received a permit from the Missouri Public Service Commission to build a 400-megawatt facility in Adair and Schuyler counties and is awaiting approval for a 300-megawatt project in Atchison County. The two projects represent an investment of about $1.2 billion, according to Ameren.

The company also plans to add 50 megawatts of solar generation by 2025 to achieve a total increase of 100 megawatts by 2027. Ameren has a goal to achieve emissions reductions of 35 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. Over half of its coal-fired generation capacity is planned for retirement in the next two decades.