The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement with Ameren on Wednesday to build the reform project.
KRCG
It is a 250-megawatt solar generation facility located in Callaway County.
Ameren’s new solar generation facility will be built next to the Callaway Energy Center on land that Ameren already owns.
“So, they are looking at it as a way to bring baseload on, to meet growing consumer demand – that’s how they have expressed it to us,” explained Christopher Scott, Callaway County’s Western District Commissioner.
Scott says this is not the first time solar farms have looked to expand in Callaway County.
“A solar project came up a few years ago in New Bloomfield that had some very loud opposition, and that project did not materialize, and it has not yet,” Scott said.
Scott says this project is a little different.
He says Callaway County has a close relationship with Ameren, and unlike some other proposed solar farms, it would be on land Ameren already owns.
“Land that they have owned for years,” Scott adds.
Other residents around Fulton told KRCG they feel the same.
“Yeah, I’m for them building more power plants. You kind of just see utility rates and electricity rates rising across the country, and especially in mid-Missouri. So, adding more supply should bring down prices and hopefully make things more affordable,” said Ethan Schutzenhofer, a Callaway County resident.
Representatives with Ameren say the project is a win for the state of Missouri, Callaway County, and Ameren.
“We absolutely do not intend on showing up and really being a mark on the county. We want to be supportive, we want the project to look good, we want everyone’s buy-in,” said Scott Wibbenmeyer, Senior Director of Renewable Development for Ameren.
Wibbenmeyer says they’ve had several meetings with the public before the approval.
“Really try to do a layout that doesn’t impact any neighboring homes. We picked a site location next to a nuclear plant, so there are not a lot of homes on the land we already own, so we are not really impacting any additional farmland,” Wibbenmeyer adds.
Wibbenmeyer adds that work on the solar farm will begin as soon as this summer, with the hope of having it ready to serve customers in 2028.