Ameren

Ameren Corporation

Type	Public (NYSE: AEE)
Headquarters	1901 Chouteau Ave. St. Louis, MO 63103
Area served	IL, MO
Key people	Gary L. Rainwater, CEO
Industry	Electric Producer and Utility
Products	Electricity
Revenue	$7.38 billion (2007)
Net income	▲ $618 million (2007)
Employees	9,069 (2007)
Divisions	Ameren Services Ameren Illinois Utilities AmerenEnergy Resources AmerenUE
Subsidiaries	Electric Energy Inc. (IL) Union Electric Co. (MO)
Website	Ameren.com

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Ameren is a St. Louis-based corporation and among the nation's biggest investor-owned electric and gas utilities, with approximately $23 billion in assets. The largest electric utility in Missouri and the second largest in Illinois, Ameren companies provide energy services to 2.3 million electric customers throughout its 64,000-square-mile territory.

History

Created by the year-end 1997 merger of Union Electric Company and CIPSCO, parent of Central Illinois Public Service Company, the company grew in 2003 with the acquisition of CILCORP, the parent of Central Illinois Light Company and again in 2004 with the acquisition of Illinois Power Company. At the end of 2009 it was announced that Ameren Energy Resources had spent $1 billion for the installation of scrubbers at two of its facilities, including the Duck Creek Station and the Coffeen Power Station. The scrubbers reduce nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide emissions.

Political contributions

Ameren is one of the largest energy company contributors to both Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress. These contributions total $132,500 to the 110th US Congress (as of the third quarter), the largest of which has been to Rep. Roy Blunt, who in 2007-2008 took $51,500 from coal-related companies of which $12,500 was from Ameren. More information on coal industry contributions to Congress can be found at FollowtheCoalMoney.org, a project sponsored by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Oil Change International and Appalachian Voices.

Lobbyists

Ameren paid $60,000 for the services of Bryan Cave Strategies LLC in 2008. The registered lobbyists were Matt Jessee, and David Russell. Ameren spent another $160,000 on Ogilvy Government Relations in 2008 and 40,000 so far in 2009. The registered lobbyists were Chris Giblin, Drew Maloney, Julie Dammann, Wayne Berman, and John Green. Elmendorf Strategies LLC received $90,000 from Ameren in 2008 and $30,000 in 2009. The registered lobbyists were Robert Cogorno, Steven Elmendorf, James Houton, Kristina Kennedy, and Shanti Stanton in 2008 with Barry LaSala joining the team in 2009. Ameren also spent $78,000 on Bracewell & Giuliani in 2008 and another $50,000 in 2009. The registered lobbyists were Scott H. Segal, Jeffrey Holmstead, Edward Krenik, Joshua Zive, and E. Dee Martin. They have also used the lobbying firms the Gephardt Group Government Affairs and Barnes & Thornburg, and their own in-house services arm, Ameren Services. Together the utility spent $2.36 million on lobbying the federal legislature in the first six months of 2009 alone.

CEO compensation

In May 2007, Forbes listed former Ameren CEO Gary L. Rainwater as receiving $1.44 million in total compensation for the latest fiscal year, with a three-year total compensation of $5.7 million. In 2007 he ranked 39th on the list of CEOs in the Utilities industry, and 462nd among all CEOs in the United States. In 2008 he made $5 million in total compensation, and handed the CEO title to Thomas R. Voss on May 1, 2009.

Power portfolio

Out of its total 16,546 megawatts (MW) of electric generating capacity (1.55% of the U.S. total), Ameren gets 64.8% from coal, 19.5% from natural gas, 7.5% from nuclear, 4.5% from hydroelectricity, and 3.7% from oil. Ameren owns power plants in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.

FutureGen 2.0

On August 5, 2010, the Obama administration awarded $1 billion to "FutureGen 2.0," replacing the earlier plan for a "clean coal" power plant in Illinois that would have used a different technology. The money will retrofit a now-shuttered Ameren coal-fired power plant in the western Illinois town of Meredosia, and establish a pipeline network to transport and store more than one million tons of carbon-dioxide a year in Mattoon, Ill., the site of the original project. Supporters of the latest version say it will create jobs and reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Opponents contend the clean coal technology is less developed and more expensive than cleaner renewable energy. The U.S. Energy Department said the money would go to the FutureGen Alliance, the same group that backed the original "clean coal" project, along with Ameren, Babcock & Wilcox, and Air Liquide Process and Construction.

Nuclear power

In April 2009, Ameren suspended efforts to build a proposed new nuclear power plant, the "Callaway 2," in Missouri. It was "the first of the 'nuclear renaissance' reactors to fall by the wayside," reported the New York Times. The move came after Ameren stopped efforts to change Missouri state law to allow "construction work in progress" (CWIP). CWIP allows utilities to charge customers to cover the cost of future electricity, and has been used to help fund expensive nuclear reactor projects. The bill allowing companies to pass construction costs on to consumers during construction died in the Senate.

However, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesperson "hinted that AmerenUE's application might not, in fact, be dead," as "AmerenUE had been in contact with the commission staff this week, and had not asked that the commission staff stop work on the application. That work is done at the expense of the applicant."

Existing coal-fired power plants

Ameren had 31 coal-fired generating stations in 2005, with 10,719 MW of capacity. Their aging power stations, based on 2005 data, emitted 1.2% of all U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. Here is a list of Ameren's coal power plants with capacity over 100 MW:

Plant Name	State	County	Year(s) Built	Capacity	2007 CO2 Emissions	2006 SO2 Emissions
Labadie	MO	Franklin	1970, 1971, 1972, 1973	2389 MW	16,400,000 tons	51,445 tons
Rush Island	MO	Jefferson	1976, 1977	1242 MW	6,828,000 tons	28,674 tons
Newton	IL	Jasper	1977, 1982	1235 MW	7,799,000 tons	20,922 tons
Joppa	IL	Massac	1953, 1954, 1955	1100 MW	9,222,000 tons	26,408 tons
Sioux	MO	St. Charles	1967, 1968	1099 MW	6,043,000 tons	44,148 tons
Coffeen	IL	Montgomery	1965, 1972	1005 MW	6,699,000 tons	22,007 tons
Meramec	MO	St. Louis	1953, 1954, 1959, 1961	923 MW	6,635,000 tons	17,225 tons
E.D. Edwards	IL	Peoria	1960, 1968, 1972	780 MW	4,696,000 tons	50,126 tons
Duck Creek	IL	Fulton	1976	441 MW	2,545,000 tons	N/A
Meredosia	IL	Morgan	1948, 1949, 1960	354 MW	1,809,000 tons	N/A
Hutsonville	IL	Crawford	1953, 1954	150 MW	897,000 tons	N/A

In 2005, Ameren's 11 largest coal-fired power plants emitted 69.6 million tons of CO₂ (1.2% of all U.S. CO₂ emissions) and at least 261,000 tons of SO₂ (1.7% of all U.S. SO₂ emissions).

Ameren to lower mercury and other coal plant emissions

In August 2006, a proposed regulatory agreement announced between state environmental officials and Ameren Corp.'s power-generating subsidiaries would reduce levels of mercury and other pollutants released at Ameren's coal-burning plants downstate. It wasn't clear whether Ameren's large customer base ultimately would pay the tab for the necessary technology, estimated to cost more than $1.5 billion. The St. Louis-based utility may end up buying electricity from outside sources when a controversial power auction is held in September in Illinois. Under a proposal before the Illinois Pollution Control Board, most Ameren-affiliated power plants would install equipment to reduce releases of poisonous mercury by 90 percent by 2009 - a tougher target than the 70 percent suggested by the federal government over a longer period. There would be a slower phase-in at a few plants, but the Ameren affiliates also would "dramatically" cut emissions of sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides beyond federal requirements, Gov. Rod Blagojevich's office said in a news release. Also, the power-makers would agree not to skirt the new standards by buying emission credits from other producers. Ameren operating companies - AmerenCILCO, AmerenCIPS and AmerenIP - provide electricity to much of central Illinois. Its separate power-generating subsidiaries would install new equipment at the Coffeen, Duck Creek, Edwards, Hutsonville, Meredosia and Newton power stations, the utility said in a news release. The company suggested the cost of its capital expenses could reach $2 billion.

In January 2010, Ameren spent $1 billion installing flue gas desulfurization systems, or scrubbers, on its 438-megawatt Duck Creek Station near the city of Canton. Scrubbers were also built in Unit 1 of its 900-MW Coffeen Power Station in Montgomery County. Ameren also installed an electrostatic precipitator at the Duck Creek plant, to capture particulates,and placed activated carbon injection systems at the following sites: the 794-MW E.D. Edwards Generation Plant in Bartonville, the 513-MW Meredosia Power Station near Jacksonville, the 1,151-MW Newton Power Station in Jasper County and the 164-MW Joppa Steam Plant, an Electric Energy, Inc. power plant where Ameren holds an 80 percent stake. Carbon injection systems enable powdered activated carbon to absorb oxidized mercury from the flue gas. Mercury is then collected with fly ash in the plant’s particulate collection device, and stored as coal waste.

Coal Waste

In June 2010, environmental groups voiced opposition to a plan from Ameren to build a 400-acre coal ash landfill for the Labadie Power Station near the Missouri River, about 35 miles west of St. Louis. The group is trying to prevent the county from changing its zoning regulations. Environmentalists say the changes would make it too easy for Ameren to put a landfill in an area not zoned for waste disposal. Patricia Schuba with the Labadie Environmental Organization says coal ash contaminants could leach into groundwater and the Missouri River: "Fifty percent of Missourians drink from Missouri River water. So this is an issue that has been painted as very local, but it's truly a metro St. Louis issue." Ameren officials say the landfill would be lined to prevent groundwater contamination and surrounded by a berm to keep out flood water.

The other coal waste sites for the Labadie Power Station include the Labadie Power Station Bottom Ash Pond and the Labadie Power Station Fly Ash Pond.

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• Gary L. Rainwater
• Illinois and coal
• Missouri and coal
• United States and coal
• Global warming

External resources

• Oil Change International
• Oil Change USA
• Appalachian Voices

External articles

• "Judge overrules request by Ameren to stop TV ads," Associated Press, March 29, 2009.