Dive Brief:
- A resolution proposed by Ameren Missouri shareholder the Missouri Sierra Club calls on the investor-owned utility (IOU) to move from its current renewable energy generation of about 1% to 30% by 2030, surpassing the state's 15% renewables by 2021 mandate.
- A utility spokesperson said the company continues to execute its 20 year plan and move toward an energy mix made up of “renewables, natural gas, hydro, and nuclear” that takes into consideration “costs, risks, fuel diversity, customer preferences, and economic development opportunities” on behalf of its entire shareholder population.
- Though the utility has built the O'Fallon Renewable Energy Center, which is the state’s biggest IOU-owned solar project, as well as wind generation and a major landfill gas facility, Sierra Club argues it is “underinvested” compared to Kansas City Power & Light’s 12% renewables and the state of Iowa’s 28% renewables.
Dive Insight:
The Ameren shares were donated to Sierra Club from a member’s inheritance. Though it and the utility may reach a settlement on the issue, the resolution is more likely to come to a vote at Ameren's April investors meeting because the Club wants it put before the entire shareholder base.
The resolution’s timing coincided with compliance discussions on the Clean Power Plan, which requires Missouri to reduce its power-plant carbon emissions 36.7% from the 2012 level by 2030. The state is among the 27 suing the EPA to stop the plan, a legal battle expected to reach the Supreme Court.
In a related story, the Missouri Public Service Commission rejected Ameren Missouri’s recently-proposed Missouri Energy Efficiency Investment Act because the efficiency program would cost customers $300 million over three years, but would not benefit the majority of the utility’s 87% residential customers who do not participate.
In rejecting the proposal, which provides rebates to customers that do energy efficient upgrades, the commission asked the utility to show the efficiency measures would be effective and to show that the reduced demand for electricity would reduce earnings for its generation mix.
