Ameren Missouri is building a stronger grid and delivering reliability for customers

Rhea-AI Summary

Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE) filed an updated Smart Energy Plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission on Feb. 12, 2026, outlining a five‑year strategy to strengthen the electric grid and improve reliability.

Key highlights: Smart upgrades automatically prevented 160,000 outages in 2025, more than 2,000 smart switches now monitor the grid, construction began on an 800 MW Castle Bluff gas plant, Vandalia added 50 MW with 350 MW expected in 2026, and the plan supported $1.5 billion in planned business investment and 2,200 jobs in 2025.

Positive

• 160,000 outages prevented automatically during 2025 storm season
• 2,000+ smart switches deployed, preventing >330,000 outages over five years
• Began construction of 800 MW Castle Bluff quick‑start gas facility
• Vandalia added 50 MW with 350 MW more expected in 2026
• Storm‑hardening: 850 composite poles added and >300 miles strengthened
• $1.5B planned investment and 2,200 jobs from 35 business projects in 2025

Negative

• None.

Key Figures

Outages prevented 2025: 160,000 customer outages Outages prevented 5 years: 330,000+ customer outages Smart switches: More than 2,000 +5 more

8 metrics

Outages prevented 2025 160,000 customer outages Automatically prevented during 2025 major storms via Smart Energy Plan

Outages prevented 5 years 330,000+ customer outages Prevented over past five years by smart switches

Smart switches More than 2,000 Devices monitoring grid 24/7 to isolate outages and reroute power

Composite poles added 850 poles Installed in 2025 to harden system against storm damage

Castle Bluff capacity 800 MW Quick-start natural gas facility to support peak demand

Vandalia capacity 50 MW New renewable energy added to grid in 2025

Planned extra capacity 2026 350 MW Additional generation expected in service for customers in 2026

Business investment 2025 $1.5 billion+ Planned capital investment from 35 businesses in service territory

Market Reality Check

Price: $109.34 Vol: Volume 2,361,015 is 39% a...

normal vol

$109.34 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,361,015 is 39% above the 20-day average of 1,696,560, indicating elevated interest into this infrastructure update. normal

Technical Price at 106.02 is above the 200-day MA of 100.42 and within 0.67% of the 52-week high 106.73, reflecting a strong pre-news trend.

Peers on Argus

AEE gained 0.23% while peers showed mixed moves: DTE +1.33%, FE +0.57%, WEC +0.3...

AEE gained 0.23% while peers showed mixed moves: DTE +1.33%, FE +0.57%, WEC +0.37% versus PPL -0.41% and FTS roughly flat at -0.02%. With no peers in the momentum scanner, today’s action appears more company-specific than sector-driven.

Common Catalyst Only one close peer, Fortis Inc. (FTS), reported earnings-related news today, suggesting limited sector-wide headline overlap with AEE’s grid investment update.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 09 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 09	Board appointment	Positive	+1.5%	Timothy S. Rausch added to board, reinforcing nuclear generation expertise.
Feb 06	Dividend increase	Positive	+0.3%	Quarterly dividend raised 5.6%, marking 13 straight years of growth.
Jan 20	Earnings call announcement	Neutral	+0.4%	Scheduled webcast to discuss 2025 earnings and 2026 guidance.
Jan 15	Economic impact report	Positive	+0.7%	Reported $20.7B annual output and thousands of supported jobs in region.
Dec 15	Board appointment	Positive	-0.9%	Jamie L. Engstrom elected to board, bringing IT and cybersecurity focus.

Pattern Detected

Recent news—dividend growth, economic impact, board additions—has generally coincided with modestly positive next-day moves, with one management update seeing a small divergence.

Recent Company History

Over the past few months, Ameren has highlighted governance, income, and economic development themes. A management appointment on Feb. 9, 2026, a 5.6% dividend increase on Feb. 6, and an earnings call announcement on Jan. 20 all saw small positive reactions. A Jan. 15 report citing $20.7 billion in annual economic output and job creation also aligned with a gain. Only a Dec. 15 board addition drew a minor negative move, suggesting generally constructive reception to operational and strategic updates like today’s grid-strengthening plan.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement details Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan, emphasizing reliability gains such as...

Analysis

This announcement details Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan, emphasizing reliability gains such as preventing 160,000 outages in 2025 and deploying more than 2,000 smart switches. It also outlines capacity additions, including an 800 MW gas plant and new renewable projects, plus over $1.5 billion in business investment tied to grid strength. Investors may track execution on these projects, regulatory decisions, and future updates on outage reduction and economic development metrics.

Key Terms

megawatt (MW), battery storage, hydroelectric generation, substations

4 terms

megawatt (MW) technical

"Castle Bluff Energy Center, a quick-start, 800-megawatt (MW) natural gas facility"

A megawatt (MW) is a unit of power equal to one million watts, used to describe how much electricity a generator, power plant, solar farm, or battery can produce or deliver at a given moment. For investors it signals scale and potential revenue — larger MW capacity usually means more energy to sell or store, and helps compare projects like power plants or renewable installations the way horsepower compares cars, influencing costs, earnings and project value.

battery storage technical

"lowest-cost renewables and battery storage is critical to meeting our customers' needs"

Battery storage is a system that stores electricity in large rechargeable batteries so power can be used later, like a reusable fuel tank for the grid. Investors care because it smooths out when energy is available vs. when it’s needed, can lower costs, create new revenue from selling stored power at peak times, and reduce reliance on unpredictable energy sources, affecting utility and clean-energy company valuations.

hydroelectric generation technical

"improve the efficiency of hydroelectric generation at Bagnell Dam"

The production of electricity by capturing the energy of moving or falling water — commonly using dams or flowing rivers to spin turbines that drive generators, much like a large water wheel turning to power machinery. It matters to investors because hydro plants are long-lived, capital-intensive assets that provide steady, low-cost power and predictable income streams, but they also carry risks from weather variability, regulation and environmental constraints.

substations technical

"including poles, wires and substations. These improvements support greater resilience"

Substations are fenced facilities on the power grid where electricity is transformed, routed and controlled—think of them as traffic interchanges for electrical flow, using transformers and switches to change voltage and direct power between high-voltage long-distance lines and local distribution networks. They matter to investors because their condition, capacity and modernization affect utility reliability, maintenance costs, regulatory compliance and future growth; failures or upgrades can directly influence earnings, capital spending and the value of energy assets.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Smart Energy Plan upgrades helped limit severe weather impacts and speed restoration during historic 2025 storm season

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE), has filed its updated Smart Energy Plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The filing highlights how Missourians are benefiting from the company's investments in customer reliability and outlines a five-year strategy to advance a stronger, more resilient electric grid. In 2025, upgrades deployed through the Smart Energy Plan automatically prevented 160,000 customer outages during major storms.

"Our strategic grid upgrades through the Smart Energy Plan are focused on delivering enhanced reliability and value for customers," said Michael Moehn, group president, Ameren Utilities of Ameren Corporation. "We're committed to making investments that bolster the grid and protect families and businesses from outages."

Critical Local Projects Benefit Customers

The Smart Energy Plan provides direct customer benefits by enabling Ameren Missouri to upgrade aging foundational grid infrastructure, including poles, wires and substations. These improvements support greater resilience against extreme weather and faster restoration during outages.

"The benefits of these upgrades can be immediate and impactful, as we saw during major storm events in 2025," said Tim Lafser, senior vice president, energy delivery and operations technical services at Ameren Missouri. "For example, when a dozen tornados touched down in our region on March 14, our investments automatically prevented 59,000 outages while our crews worked tirelessly to restore all affected customers."

Smart Energy Plan investments through 2025 include:

• Outage Prevention: More than 2,000 smart switches now monitor the grid 24/7, automatically isolating outages and rerouting power. These devices have prevented more than 330,000 customer outages over the past five years.
• Storm Hardening: Ameren Missouri added 850 composite poles in 2025. These are stronger than wooden poles and help speed restoration by preventing cascading damage to overhead lines. The company has storm-hardened more than 300 miles of power lines across Missouri since the start of the Smart Energy Plan.
• Substation Upgrades: Nearly 150 substations have been modernized through the Smart Energy Plan, including upgrades to some of the company's oldest equipment to improve reliability and increase capacity.

Powering Reliability
Ameren Missouri is also investing in a reliable and balanced mix of energy resources to power needs of all our customers now and in the future. This approach includes building new generation facilities and upgrading existing assets.

"Developing a diverse portfolio of dependable, on-demand power along with lowest-cost renewables and battery storage is critical to meeting our customers' needs," said Ajay Arora, senior vice president and chief development officer for Ameren Missouri. "This approach provides excellent value for our customers and ensures reliability, regardless of weather conditions or time of day."

In 2025, the company carried out more than 100 projects to support upgrades to its existing generation fleet. Investments in reliable generation through the Smart Energy Plan include:

• Construction began at the site of Castle Bluff Energy Center, a quick-start, 800-megawatt (MW) natural gas facility designed to support the grid during times of high demand or when renewable assets are unavailable.
• Added 50 MW of new power to the grid with the commissioning of the Vandalia Renewable Energy Center. An additional 350 MW of generation capacity is expected to be placed in service for the benefit of customers in 2026.
• Replacement of two 90-year-old turbines at Osage Energy Center to improve the efficiency of hydroelectric generation at Bagnell Dam.

Driving Economic Growth
Reliable, resilient infrastructure is an essential need for businesses considering moving to or expanding in Missouri. By supporting reliability upgrades for all customers, the Smart Energy Plan is also fostering ideal conditions for businesses to thrive in the Show-Me State.

In 2025, 35 businesses announced plans to move to or expand in our service territory, resulting in more than $1.5 billion in planned capital investment and creating more than 2,200 new Missouri jobs.

Some of those businesses include: 

• Amazon, one of the world's largest retail companies, opened a new last-mile delivery station in Scott City, Missouri. This $15 million investment will create 70 new jobs for the area. Smart Energy Plan upgrades in the area are supporting this new facility and greater reliability for 4,500 other residents and businesses in the Scott City area.
• WEG Transformers USA, a leading producer of transformers, is expanding in Washington, Missouri, investing $77 million and creating 50 new jobs. The company is a major supplier of power transformers for Smart Energy Plan projects.
• IKO, a global leader in roofing and waterproofing manufacturing, is investing more than $120 million in a new facility and creating more than 50 new jobs in Bismarck, Missouri.

Ameren is working to keep costs as low as possible, which is why Ameren Missouri's rates are consistently among the lowest in the nation and remain approximately 27% below Midwest and national averages, according to the latest analysis from the Edison Electric Institute.

About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its approximately 1.3 million electric and 135,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers approximately 60 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.

 

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SOURCE Ameren Missouri

FAQ

How many outages did Ameren Missouri (AEE) say the Smart Energy Plan prevented in 2025?

Ameren Missouri reports 160,000 customer outages were automatically prevented during major storms in 2025. According to the company, targeted grid upgrades and automated devices limited severe weather impacts and sped restoration for affected customers.

What generation projects did Ameren Missouri (AEE) announce in the Feb. 12, 2026 filing?

The filing notes construction began on an 800 MW Castle Bluff quick‑start natural gas plant and Vandalia added 50 MW now, with 350 MW expected in 2026. According to the company, these reinforce on‑demand capacity for reliability.

How did Ameren Missouri (AEE) quantify infrastructure upgrades in the Smart Energy Plan filing?

Ameren Missouri cites > 2,000 smart switches, nearly 150 modernized substations, and 850 composite poles added in 2025. According to the company, these upgrades improve isolation, restoration speed, and resilience against extreme weather.

What economic impact did Ameren Missouri (AEE) link to Smart Energy Plan upgrades in 2025?

The company reports 35 businesses announced moves or expansions, representing about $1.5 billion in planned capital investment and 2,200 new jobs in its service territory. According to the company, reliability upgrades supported these decisions.

How much additional renewable or storage capacity did Ameren Missouri (AEE) add or expect from the filing?

Ameren Missouri commissioned the Vandalia Renewable Energy Center with 50 MW added in 2025 and expects an additional 350 MW of generation capacity in 2026. According to the company, this complements reliable on‑demand resources for grid balance.

What reliability benefits did Ameren Missouri (AEE) describe for customers after the March 14, 2025 tornadoes?

Ameren Missouri says its investments automatically prevented 59,000 outages during the March 14, 2025 tornado events while crews restored service. According to the company, that demonstrates immediate, impactful benefits of targeted grid hardening and automation.