Electricity

The Consumers Council of Missouri Wednesday filed a motion for a rehearing in the Ameren Missouri case setting terms and rates for large customers like data centers. The commission has already issued an order supporting Ameren’s rates, which take effect Thursday.

Data centers and other large consumers of electricity will pay special rates under Ameren Missouri’s new tariff approved Monday.

The utility disconnected more than 17,000 households that were behind on their bills in October, according to its latest public filings.

Municipally owned electric utilities are rare in the St. Louis area. Kirkwood owns its own utility and recently announced a rate increase.

Ameren Missouri is courting AI data centers by building new power plants and offering them lower bulk electric rates, but their unprecedented energy demands could drive up everyone’s electricity bills.

Ameren said it was donating the $4 million to community organizations in response to extreme heat that is forecast to run through Monday.

It’s not always clear why energy costs as much as it does to consumers — and there’s usually no other options to choose from.

Missouri regulators approved an increase for Ameren’s electric rates. Bills will go up by about 12% starting in June.

Ameren Missouri announced plans to upgrade its grid and build new power plants to meet an anticipated increase in demand from companies moving to the state.

The drop in gas rates and rise in electrical rates follow separate decisions from the Illinois Commerce Commission in late 2023. Ameren Illinois customers will notice the changes in the first billing cycle of the new year.