Ameren Missouri says it is moving forward with the planned acquisition of the 200 MW Huck Finn Solar Project in central Missouri.
Huck Finn – the company’s largest-ever solar facility – is planned to be constructed on the border of Missouri’s Audrain and Ralls counties. Construction is expected to produce enough energy to power approximately 40,000 homes.
Based on current projections, the project could begin generating energy as soon as late 2024.
The utility will be acquiring the project pursuant to a build-transfer agreement with EDF Renewables.
The facility was the first project announced after Ameren Missouri updated its comprehensive plan to safeguard long-term energy reliability and resiliency for Missourians. The plan also accelerates Ameren’s companywide net-zero carbon emissions goal to 2045, five years sooner than previously planned.
Huck Finn is also the first renewable energy generation acquisition to be approved following the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Ameren says it actively advocated for components of these acts, which will help bring about long-term customer benefits.
“Overall, the IRA enhances affordability of our ongoing clean energy transition – as we work to make the energy we provide as clean as we can, as fast as we can, without compromising on reliability, resiliency or affordability for our customers,” says Ajay Arora, chief renewable development officer at Ameren Missouri.
Huck Finn is designed to generate more than 25 times the amount of energy of Missouri’s largest existing solar facility. It is the latest project to be part of Ameren Missouri’s planned addition of 2.8 GW of new renewable generation by 2030 and the ninth solar facility that the company has announced or put in service since 2019.
