A proposed Ameren data center is being opposed by Missouri’s utility regulatory staff, who contend the center would raise electric bills by an estimated $22 million.
“Captive ratepayers should not pay unreasonably for those upgrades, nor should existing ratepayers be caught having to pay for any potential stranded or under-utilized resources built to serve anticipated large-load customers,” wrote James A. Busch, director of the industry analysis division of the Missouri Public Service Commission, as reported by St. Louis Public Radio.
It is yet another example of the kind of regulatory fights reported across the country as new expensive and power-hungry data centers are proposed.
The fight in Missouri led the agency staff to urge the full commission to reject Ameren’s proposal. In a document filed Sept. 5, they declared that Ameren’s plan will not protect customers’ rates “from reflecting unjust and unreasonable costs,” the staff wrote.