The Missouri subsidiary of US utility Ameren has received approval from the state Public Service Commission to acquire a 150MW solar project in White County, Illinois. The project is expected to enter commercial operations late next year.
The project is a part of the Renewable Solutions Program, which sees businesses support the construction of clean energy resources in return for renewable energy credits to help them achieve their own sustainability targets.
Ten businesses in Missouri are a part of the programme, which Ameren set up to help it reach its target of 2.8GW of new renewable energy generation by 2030. In 2020 the utility announced its target to deploy 5.4GW of renewables by 2040 and the decommissioning of all of its coal-fired plants by 2042.
“Thanks to the commitment of these 10 organisations, all customers will benefit from the additional renewable energy the facility provides,” said Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri. “The Renewable Solutions program is one of the creative, innovative partnerships we’re pursuing to support our renewable energy efforts and serve our customers’ needs while maintaining the energy reliability and resiliency our customers expect.”
This week, fellow US utility Duke Energy announced an addition to its own collaborative renewable energy scheme in the form of 150MW of community solar assets in Florida.
In February, Ameren received approvals for its 200MW Huck Finn solar project in Missouri, which is being developed by EDF Renewables.