A 175-megawatt solar project and 200-megawatt battery facility were approved to be constructed in Audrain County by the Missouri Public Service Commission on Wednesday.
The Tom Sawyer Solar Project is being developed by EDF Power Solutions, according to its website, and is set to become operational in 2028. It will be able to power the equivalent of more than 32,000 homes, according to the company.
The website said it picked Audrain County due to rising regional demand for locally generated solar energy, flat and cleared land with access to transmission infrastructure, and enough private landowners interested in the project.
The Huck Finn Battery Energy Storage System Project will be housed at Ameren Missouri's Audrain Energy Center near Vandalia, according to a commission news release.
Commission staff, Ameren Missouri and Renew Missouri signed on to the agreement authorizing these facilities and several more. Alongside these two projects, the commission also approved:
- Castle Bluff BESS Project: A 95-megawatt battery energy storage facility in St. Louis County at the retired Meramec coal-fired facility
- Millcreek BESS Project: A 250-megawatt battery energy storage facility in Lincoln County
- Quinn Switching Station: A new 161-kilovolt switching station in Lincoln County to connect the Millcreek BESS Project to the existing transmission system
- Ringer Solar Project: A 225-megawatt solar generation facility in Stoddard County
As part of the agreement, Ameren Missouri will submit plans for restoring safe and adequate service following significant outages. It will also release quarterly progress reports and must notify the commission if the project's total costs change by more than 15%.
The commission considered safety, cost and the interests of nearby landowners as part of the decision, according to the news release.
