Gas Turbines

Ameren proposes 800 MW simple-cycle facility at retired coal plant site

The proposed site previously hosted the coal-fired Meramec Energy Center, which Ameren retired in 2022.
Ameren proposes 800 MW simple-cycle facility at retired coal plant site
(A rendering of the Castle Bluff Energy Center. Source: Ameren Missouri.)

Ameren Missouri has filed an application with the Missouri Public Service Commission to build an 800 MW simple-cycle natural gas-fired plant. The Castle Bluff Energy Center would be “used to deliver energy on the hottest summer days, the coldest winter nights and complement the increasing amount of renewable energy generation being added to the grid,” the utility said.

The proposed site for Castle Bluff previously hosted the coal-fired Meramec Energy Center, which Ameren closed in 2022. The utility owns the property and already has existing infrastructure and transmission line access, reducing the construction costs of the project, Ameren said. Pending regulatory approval, construction would begin in 2026, with the plant coming online the following year.

Last October, 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.

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