Ameren Missouri officials are asking state regulators for approval to install lithium-ion batteries at a site in Jefferson County they’re calling the Big Hollow Energy Center.
The company is also proposing a new gas power plant adjacent to the batteries, on the site of the former Rush Island coal plant.
Scott Wibbenmeyer works on renewable business development for Ameren and said the location was attractive due to its existing access to the grid.
“The advantage is, by co-locating them, both projects get to utilize that transmission system there and that interconnection,” Wibbenmeyer said. “So we don't have to have those large, costly upgrades and we can implement the projects quicker.”
James Owen is executive director of Renew Missouri, a renewable energy advocacy group, and said he supports Ameren’s investment in battery storage. But he said he’s dismayed by the company’s commitment to new fossil fuel production.
“When we look at the supply chain issues that are being created by these trade wars being waged at the federal level. When we look at the international conflicts that are leading to volatility in gas prices, it's just very hard to look at any gas proposal and see that it's economically viable,” Owen said.
Last year, Ameren received approval from state utility regulators to build a gas power plant in St. Louis called the Castle Bluff Energy Center. The proposed Big Hollow Energy Center in Jefferson County is projected to provide a similar amount of gas power and be in service by 2028.
Both sites are what’s known as a “peaker plant” — gas facilities that are turned on when energy demand is high.
“We really see simple cycle gas turbines as a critical need to make sure we meet the reliability,” Wibbenmeyer said. “It's that insurance to be there when we need it.”
The combined gas generation and energy storage project will now be considered by the Missouri Public Service Commission.
Batteries new tool for Ameren
If approved by state utility regulators, this would be Ameren Missouri’s first battery storage facility of its kind.
“We've really been watching the technology advance over the last decade, and it's finally reached a really strong commercial availability,” Wibbenmeyer said.
In theory, battery storage complements so-called "intermittent" resources such as wind and solar. Energy in the U.S. needs to be consumed because the grid isn’t designed to hold into it. However, the sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow.
Batteries can charge overnight when the wind is often blowing but energy demand is low, and deploy that energy during the day when there is more need.
“We have been working with Ameren, as well as all the other utilities in the state, to try to encourage more battery storage deployment,” Owen said. “I think it's a good technology to deal with certain issues with renewable energy.”
Wibbenmeyer said batteries will “balance” the company’s energy system.
“It's really critical because it allows us to tie together all of our technologies and provide that reliability that we need with our systems,” he said.
