Ameren unveils new hybrid energy center combining natural gas and energy storage to supply reliable energy when Missouri needs it most
Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE) has filed an application to construct the Big Hollow Energy Center, a hybrid facility combining an 800-megawatt natural gas energy center with a 400-MW battery storage facility in Jefferson County, Missouri. The project represents Ameren's first large-scale battery installation, designed to enhance grid reliability and meet increased energy demands.
The facility, planned to be operational by 2028, will be built on existing Ameren-owned land with infrastructure access. The battery storage component is part of Ameren's broader plan to deploy 1,000 MW of battery capacity by 2030 and 1,800 MW by 2042. The batteries can power thousands of homes for hours during peak demand periods.
Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE) ha presentato una richiesta per costruire il Big Hollow Energy Center, una struttura ibrida che combina un centro energetico a gas naturale da 800 megawatt con un impianto di accumulo a batteria da 400 MW nella contea di Jefferson, Missouri. Il progetto rappresenta la prima grande installazione di batterie di Ameren, progettata per migliorare l'affidabilità della rete e soddisfare la crescente domanda di energia.
La struttura, prevista per entrare in funzione entro il 2028, sarà costruita su terreni già di proprietà di Ameren con accesso alle infrastrutture. La componente di accumulo a batteria fa parte del piano più ampio di Ameren di installare 1.000 MW di capacità a batteria entro il 2030 e 1.800 MW entro il 2042. Le batterie saranno in grado di alimentare migliaia di abitazioni per diverse ore durante i picchi di domanda.
Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE) ha presentado una solicitud para construir el Big Hollow Energy Center, una instalación híbrida que combina un centro energético de gas natural de 800 megavatios con una planta de almacenamiento de baterías de 400 MW en el condado de Jefferson, Missouri. El proyecto representa la primera instalación a gran escala de baterías de Ameren, diseñada para mejorar la fiabilidad de la red y satisfacer la creciente demanda energética.
La instalación, que se espera esté operativa para 2028, se construirá en terrenos ya propiedad de Ameren con acceso a infraestructura. El componente de almacenamiento en baterías forma parte del plan más amplio de Ameren para desplegar 1,000 MW de capacidad de baterías para 2030 y 1,800 MW para 2042. Las baterías podrán alimentar miles de hogares durante horas en los períodos de máxima demanda.
Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE)는 미주리 주 제퍼슨 카운티에 800메가와트 천연가스 에너지 센터와 400MW 배터리 저장 시설을 결합한 하이브리드 시설인 빅 할로우 에너지 센터 건설 신청서를 제출했습니다. 이 프로젝트는 Ameren의 첫 대규모 배터리 설치로, 전력망 신뢰성을 향상시키고 증가하는 에너지 수요를 충족시키기 위해 설계되었습니다.
이 시설은 2028년까지 가동될 예정이며, Ameren이 소유한 기존 부지와 인프라 접근성을 활용해 건설될 예정입니다. 배터리 저장 부문은 Ameren의 2030년까지 1,000MW, 2042년까지 1,800MW 배터리 용량 배치라는 광범위한 계획의 일부입니다. 이 배터리들은 피크 수요 기간 동안 수천 가구에 몇 시간 동안 전력을 공급할 수 있습니다.
Ameren Missouri (NYSE : AEE) a déposé une demande pour construire le Big Hollow Energy Center, une installation hybride combinant un centre énergétique au gaz naturel de 800 mégawatts avec une installation de stockage par batterie de 400 MW dans le comté de Jefferson, Missouri. Ce projet représente la première installation à grande échelle de batteries par Ameren, conçue pour améliorer la fiabilité du réseau et répondre à la demande énergétique croissante.
L'installation, prévue pour être opérationnelle d'ici 2028, sera construite sur des terrains déjà détenus par Ameren avec un accès aux infrastructures. La composante de stockage par batterie s'inscrit dans le plan plus large d'Ameren visant à déployer 1 000 MW de capacité de batterie d'ici 2030 et 1 800 MW d'ici 2042. Les batteries pourront alimenter des milliers de foyers pendant plusieurs heures lors des pics de demande.
Ameren Missouri (NYSE: AEE) hat einen Antrag zum Bau des Big Hollow Energy Center eingereicht, einer Hybridanlage, die ein 800-Megawatt-Erdgasenergiezentrum mit einer 400-MW-Batteriespeicheranlage im Jefferson County, Missouri, kombiniert. Das Projekt stellt Amerens erste großflächige Batterieinstallation dar und ist darauf ausgelegt, die Netzzuverlässigkeit zu verbessern und den gestiegenen Energiebedarf zu decken.
Die Anlage, die bis 2028 betriebsbereit sein soll, wird auf bereits im Besitz von Ameren befindlichem Land mit Infrastrukturzugang errichtet. Der Batteriespeicher ist Teil von Amerens umfassenderem Plan, bis 2030 1.000 MW Batteriekapazität und bis 2042 1.800 MW zu installieren. Die Batterien können während Spitzenlastzeiten Tausende von Haushalten stundenlang mit Strom versorgen.
- Strategic combination of natural gas and battery storage enhances grid reliability
- 400-MW battery storage facility marks company's first large-scale battery installation
- Project utilizes existing infrastructure and owned land, reducing costs and construction time
- Creation of new jobs and economic benefits for Jefferson County
- Accelerated battery storage capacity plan targeting 1,800 MW by 2042
- Significant capital investment required for construction
- Project completion dependent on regulatory approvals
- Continued reliance on natural gas amid clean energy transition
Insights
Ameren's hybrid energy center represents a strategic generation transition combining gas reliability with battery storage technology for grid stability.
Ameren Missouri's filing to construct the Big Hollow Energy Center marks a significant step in the company's generation investment strategy. The project combines an 800-megawatt natural gas facility with Ameren's first 400-megawatt large-scale battery storage installation, creating a hybrid energy center designed to enhance grid reliability while meeting increased demand.
This investment aligns with the broader industry trend toward balanced generation portfolios that can provide stability during peak demand periods. The natural gas component offers crucial backup generation capacity during extreme weather events when renewable sources may be unavailable, while the battery storage provides rapid-response capabilities that can power thousands of homes for hours during peak demand.
The project's location offers several strategic advantages. By developing on company-owned land with existing infrastructure and transmission access, Ameren is likely to realize meaningful cost efficiencies and shorter construction timelines. This approach optimizes capital deployment while maintaining service reliability.
This filing represents just one component of Ameren's accelerated battery storage roadmap, which targets 1,000 MW by 2030 and 1,800 MW by 2042. The company is clearly positioning itself for a generation transition that balances reliability needs with the flexibility required in an increasingly intermittent generation environment.
For Jefferson County, this project delivers economic benefits through job creation and tax revenue for local schools and services, helping offset the impact of the Rush Island Energy Center's closure in October 2024. The company's approach to stakeholder engagement with local officials and school districts demonstrates effective community partnership in managing this transition.
Site will create jobs, power thousands of homes
"This is the next step to deliver on our strategy to invest in energy infrastructure for our customers' benefit and provide a balanced generation portfolio," said Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. "As we transition our generation for the future, we'll continue to serve our customers with the reliable energy they expect while also preparing for anticipated increases in demand."
The Big Hollow Energy Center will provide significant investment and jobs to the community. With timely regulatory approval, the energy center will be ready to serve as a reliable backup source of energy for customers in 2028. Similar in design to the Castle Bluff Energy Center, the natural gas portion of Big Hollow will be designed to deliver energy on the coldest winter days, hottest summer afternoons and back up the grid when renewable energy generation is otherwise unavailable.
Co-located on the site will be Ameren Missouri's first large-scale lithium-ion battery installation. The batteries can be charged at times when excess energy is on the grid and then utilized in any weather. The planned 400-MW battery storage is a fast-acting asset, ready in moments to support customers' energy needs. Fully charged, the entire array could power thousands of homes for hours and help overall grid reliability, especially during times of peak energy needs. Ameren Missouri recently announced an acceleration of battery storage capacity, with a total of 1,000 MW planned by 2030 and a total of 1,800 MW by 2042.
The natural gas generation and battery storage facilities will operate independently while taking advantage of existing energy infrastructure on land Ameren Missouri already owns, reducing construction time and cost to customers.
"It is crucial to have a balanced mix of generation technologies and equally important to strategically locate them across the region," said Ajay Arora, senior vice president and chief development officer at Ameren Missouri. "This approach maximizes the energy output from these resources."
The identified site, which Ameren Missouri already owns, has existing infrastructure and transmission line access, reducing overall construction time.
"We have collaborated with leaders across
Community leaders welcome the announcement as well:
"The Big Hollow Energy Center represents more than just an energy project; it's a commitment to the future of
"The Jefferson R-VII Board of Education and I deeply appreciate Ameren Missouri's communication regarding the closure of the Rush Island Energy Center. The company has addressed every concern about its closure and the impact on our students, consistently treating the district with the utmost respect," said David Haug, Ed.D., superintendent of the Jefferson R-VII School District. "With the Rush Island Energy Center's closure in October 2024, our primary goal was to retain Ameren as a community partner. We are pleased to continue this partnership with the announcement of the Big Hollow project."
About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years. 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
Forward-looking Statements
Statements in this release not based on historical facts are considered "forward-looking" and, accordingly, involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed. Although such forward-looking statements have been made in good faith and are based on reasonable assumptions, there is no assurance that the expected results will be achieved. These statements include (without limitation) statements as to future expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, strategies, targets, estimates, objectives, events, conditions, and financial performance. In connection with the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, we are providing this cautionary statement to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The following factors, in addition to those discussed under Risk Factors in Ameren Missouri's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and elsewhere in this release and in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause actual results to differ materially from management expectations suggested in such forward-looking statements:
- regulatory, judicial, or legislative actions, and any changes in regulatory policies and ratemaking determinations that may change regulatory recovery mechanisms;
- our ability to control costs and make substantial investments in our businesses, including our ability to recover costs and investments, and to earn our allowed returns on equity, within frameworks established by our regulators, while maintaining affordability of services for our customers;
- the effect on Ameren Missouri of any customer rate caps or limitations on increasing the electric service revenue requirement pursuant to Ameren Missouri's election to use the plant-in-service accounting regulatory mechanism;
- Ameren Missouri's ability to construct and/or acquire battery storage, as well as natural gas-fired energy centers, and implement new or existing customer energy-efficiency programs, including any such construction, acquisition, retirement, or implementation in connection with its Smart Energy Plan, preferred resource plan, or emissions reduction goals, and to recover its cost of investment, a related return, and, in the case of customer energy-efficiency programs, any lost electric revenues in a timely manner, each of which is affected by the ability to obtain all necessary regulatory and project approvals, including certificates of convenience and necessity from the MoPSC or any other required approvals;
- the cost of battery storage technologies and our ability to obtain timely interconnection agreements with the MISO or other regional transmission organizations at an acceptable cost for each facility;
- the inability of our counterparties to meet their obligations with respect to contracts, credit agreements, and financial instruments, including as they relate to the construction and acquisition of electric and natural gas utility infrastructure and the ability of counterparties to complete projects, which is dependent upon the availability of necessary materials and equipment, including those obligations that are affected by supply chain disruptions;
- advancements in energy technologies, including carbon capture, utilization, and sequestration, hydrogen fuel for electric production and energy storage, next generation nuclear, and large-scale long-cycle battery energy storage, and the impact of federal and state energy and economic policies with respect to those technologies;
- the effects of changes in federal, state, or local laws and other domestic or international governmental actions, including monetary, fiscal, foreign trade, and energy policies, foreign trade tariffs, executive orders, or extended federal government shutdowns or defunding;
- the effects of changes in federal, state, or local tax laws or rates; additional regulations, interpretations, amendments, or technical corrections to, or in connection with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ("IRA"), including the effects of the IRA as it relates to income tax payments or the transferability of production and investment tax credits and the
15% minimum tax on adjusted financial statement income; and challenges to the tax positions taken by us, if any, as well as resulting effects on customer rates and the recoverability of the minimum tax imposed under the IRA; - the effects on energy prices and demand for our services resulting from customer growth patterns or usage, including demand from data centers, technological advances, including advances in customer energy efficiency, electric vehicles, electrification of various industries, energy storage, and private generation sources, which generate electricity at the site of consumption and are becoming increasingly cost-competitive;
- disruptions in the delivery of fuel, failure of our fuel suppliers to provide adequate quantities or quality of fuel, or lack of adequate inventories of fuel;
- the effectiveness of our risk management strategies and our use of financial and derivative instruments;
- the impact of cyberattacks and data security risks on us, our suppliers, or other entities on the grid, which could, among other things, result in the loss of operational control of energy centers and electric and natural gas transmission and distribution systems and/or the loss of data, such as customer, employee, financial, and operating system information;
- acts of sabotage, which have increased in frequency and severity within the utility industry, war, terrorism, or other intentionally disruptive acts;
- business, economic, geopolitical, and capital market conditions, including foreign trade tariffs or trade wars, evolving federal regulatory priorities, and the impact of such conditions on interest rates, inflation, and investments;
- the impact of inflation or a recession on our customers and suppliers and the related impact on our results of operations, financial position, and liquidity;
- disruptions of the capital and credit markets, deterioration in our credit metrics, or other events that may have an adverse effect on the cost or availability of capital, including short-term credit and liquidity, and our ability to access the capital and credit markets on reasonable terms when needed;
- the actions of credit rating agencies and the effects of such actions;
- the impact of weather conditions and other natural conditions on us, including the impact of system outages;
- the construction, installation, performance, and cost recovery of generation, transmission, and distribution assets;
- the effects of failures of natural gas storage facilities systems and equipment, which could result in unanticipated liabilities or unplanned outages;
- the impact of current environmental laws or their interpretation and new, more stringent, or changing requirements and environmental policies, including those related to New Source Review provisions of the Clean Air Act, carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and other emissions and discharges, cooling water intake structures, coal combustion residuals, energy efficiency, and wildlife protection, that could limit, terminate or otherwise modify the operation of certain of Ameren Missouri's energy centers, increase our operating costs or investment requirements, result in an impairment of our assets, cause us to sell our assets, reduce our customers' demand for electricity or natural gas, or otherwise have a negative financial effect;
- labor disputes, work force reductions, our ability to attract and retain professional and skilled-craft employees, changes in future wage and employee benefits costs, including those resulting from changes in discount rates, mortality tables, returns on benefit plan assets, and other assumptions;
- the impact of negative opinions of us or our utility services that our customers, investors, legislators, regulators, creditors, rating agencies, or other stakeholders may have or develop, which could result from a variety of factors, including failures in system reliability, failure to implement our investment plans or to protect sensitive customer information, increases in rates, negative media coverage, or concerns about company policies or practices;
- the impact of adopting new accounting and reporting guidance;
- the effects of strategic initiatives, including mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures;
- legal and administrative proceedings;
- pandemics or other significant global health events, and their impacts on our results of operations, financial position, and liquidity;
- the impacts of the Russian invasion of
Ukraine and conflicts in theMiddle East , related sanctions imposed bythe United States and other governments, and any broadening of these or other global conflicts, including potential impacts on the cost and availability of fuel, natural gas, enriched uranium, and other commodities, materials, and services; and - the inability of our counterparties to perform their obligations, disruptions in the capital and credit markets, prolonged government shutdowns or defunding, acts of sabotage or terrorism, including cyberattacks and physical attacks, and other impacts on business, economic, and geopolitical conditions, including inflation, foreign trade tariffs, trade wars, or recession.
New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained or implied in any forward-looking statement. Given these uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ameren-unveils-new-hybrid-energy-center-combining-natural-gas-and-energy-storage-to-supply-reliable-energy-when-missouri-needs-it-most-302492880.html
SOURCE Ameren Missouri
FAQ
What is the capacity of Ameren's new Big Hollow Energy Center (NYSE: AEE)?
When will Ameren's Big Hollow Energy Center begin operations?
What are Ameren's battery storage goals by 2042?
Where will Ameren's new hybrid energy center be located?
How will Ameren's battery storage facility benefit customers?
