FULTON, Mo., Aug. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Ameren Missouri
announced today that Callaway Energy Center is now operating at
full power, delivering carbon-free energy to customers. The safe
return to service follows an outage to rewind the generator, which
is a non-nuclear component of the energy center.
"Crews across Ameren have used the outage time to improve
operations throughout the energy center, with the proactive work
expected to sustain solid operations for years to come," said
Fadi Diya, senior vice
president and chief nuclear officer for Ameren Missouri, a
subsidiary of Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE). "The safe,
sustainable operation of Callaway,
and the clean energy we produce, is fundamental in achieving
Ameren's ambitious carbon reduction targets."
Ameren's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050
includes carbon reductions of 50% by 2030 and 85% by 2040, both
based on 2005 levels. The ongoing, safe and efficient operation of
Callaway and Ameren Missouri's
other energy centers is key to reaching these goals while keeping
rates affordable for customers. Ameren Missouri's 2020 Integrated
Resource Plan sets forth the company's preferred plan to transform
its electricity generation portfolio over the coming decades.
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 1.2 million electric and 132,000 natural
gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64
counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater
St. Louis area. For more
information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us on Twitter at
@AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
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's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2020, 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;
- the length and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, and its
impacts on our business continuity plans and our results of
operations, financial position, and liquidity, including but not
limited to the health and welfare of our workforce and contractors,
supplier disruptions, and delays in the completion of construction
projects;
- the effects of changes in federal, state, or local laws and
other governmental actions, including monetary, fiscal, and energy
policies;
- the effects of changes in federal, state, or local tax laws,
regulations, interpretations, or rates, and challenges to the tax
positions taken by the Ameren Companies, if any, as well as
resulting effects on customer rates;
- the effects on energy prices and demand for our services
resulting from 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 more cost-competitive;
- our ability to control costs and make substantial investments
in our businesses, including our ability to recover costs,
investments, and our allowed returns on equity within frameworks
established by our regulators, while maintaining affordability of
our services for our customers;
- the cost and availability of fuel, such as low-sulfur coal,
natural gas, and enriched uranium used to produce electricity; the
cost and availability of purchased power, zero emission credits,
renewable energy credits, emission allowances, and natural gas for
distribution; and the level and volatility of future market prices
for such commodities and credits;
- 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, including nuclear fuel
assemblies from the one Nuclear Regulatory Commission-licensed
supplier of Ameren Missouri's Callaway Energy Center
assemblies;
- the ability to obtain sufficient insurance, including insurance
for Ameren Missouri's nuclear and coal-fired energy centers, or, in
the absence of insurance, the ability to timely recover uninsured
losses from our customers;
- the inability of our counterparties to meet their obligations
with respect to contracts, credit agreements, and financial
instruments; the impact of weather conditions and other natural
phenomena on us and our customers, including the impact of system
outages;
-
- the construction, installation, performance, and cost recovery
of generation, transmission and distribution assets;
- the effects of failures of electric generation, electric and
natural gas transmission or distribution, or natural gas storage
facilities systems and equipment, which could result in
unanticipated liabilities or unplanned outages;
- Ameren Missouri's ability to recover the remaining investment
and decommissioning costs associated with the retirement of an
energy center, as well as the ability to earn a return on that
remaining investment and those decommissioning costs;
- the impact of current environmental laws and new, more
stringent, or changing requirements, including those related to NSR
and CO2, other emissions and discharges, cooling water
intake structures, CCR, energy efficiency, and wildlife protection,
that could limit or terminate 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;
- the impact of complying with renewable energy standards in
Missouri and Illinois and with the zero emission standard
in Illinois;
- Ameren Missouri's ability to construct and/or acquire wind,
solar, and other renewable energy generation facilities, retire
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, the 2020 Integrated Resource Plan, or our
emissions reduction goals, and to recover its cost of investment,
related return, and, in the case of customer energy-efficiency
programs, any lost margins in a timely manner, which is affected by
the ability to obtain all necessary regulatory and project
approvals, including certificates of convenience and necessity from
the Missouri Public Service Commission ("MoPSC") or any other
required approvals for the addition of renewable resources;
- the availability of federal production and investment tax
credits related to renewable energy and Ameren Missouri's ability
to use such credits; the cost of wind, solar, and other renewable
generation and storage technologies; and our ability to obtain
timely interconnection agreements with the Midwest Independent
System Operator, Inc. ("MISO") or other regional transmission
organizations ("RTOs") at an acceptable cost for each
facility;
- advancements in carbon-free generation and storage
technologies, and constructive federal and state energy and
economic policies with respect to those technologies;
- the impact of complying with renewable energy standards in
Missouri and Illinois and with the zero emission standard
in Illinois;
- Ameren Missouri's ability to construct and/or acquire wind,
solar, and other renewable energy generation facilities, retire
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, the 2020 IRP, or our emissions reduction goals,
and to recover its cost of investment, related return, and, in the
case of customer energy-efficiency programs, any lost margins in a
timely manner, 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 for the addition of renewable resources;
- the availability of federal production and investment tax
credits related to renewable energy and Ameren Missouri's ability
to use such credits; the cost of wind, solar, and other renewable
generation and storage technologies; and our ability to obtain
timely interconnection agreements with the MISO or other RTOs at an
acceptable cost for each facility;
- advancements in carbon-free generation and storage
technologies, and constructive federal and state energy and
economic policies with respect to those technologies;
- labor disputes, work force reductions, 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, or regulators 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 environmental,
social, and/or governance practices;
- the effects of strategic initiatives, including mergers,
acquisitions, and divestitures;
- legal and administrative proceedings; and
- acts of sabotage, war, terrorism, or other intentionally
disruptive acts.
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.
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SOURCE Ameren Missouri