State Approves Millcreek Battery Project With Conditions for Ameren

LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. — Ameren Missouri’s Millcreek battery-storage project received state approval Wednesday, with conditions requiring safety testing disclosures, additional information for the community and continued reporting to regulators.

The Missouri Public Service Commission’s October 21 decision covers the proposed 250-megawatt Millcreek facility and a new switching station in Lincoln County. It comes one day after residents again pressed county commissioners about the project’s safety, emergency preparations and the county’s ability to regulate development.

For residents who have spent months asking what protections would accompany Millcreek, the decision provides a list of obligations Ameren must meet. Among them: reporting battery safety testing results before installation and expanding information addressing local concerns.

The approval does not mean those requirements have already been completed.

At least 90 days before batteries are installed at Millcreek, Ameren must file a public pleading identifying the results of safety testing for the Tesla Megapack 3 system. The supplier’s confidential testing report must also be submitted for review by PSC staff and the Office of the Public Counsel.

Ameren must meet with those offices after testing is complete to discuss the results and the supplier’s steps to ensure compliance with the National Fire Protection Association’s NFPA 855 standard for stationary energy-storage systems.

The agreement also calls for Ameren to expand information addressing community concerns about Millcreek, specifically including fire safety, battery testing and nearby infrastructure.

Those subjects have repeatedly surfaced during local meetings, where residents have questioned how an emergency would be handled and what information nearby property owners would receive.

The PSC said its decision considered safety and costs, protections for Ameren customers and the interests of landowners near the projects.

Wednesday’s approval also includes the Quinn Switching Station, a new 161-kilovolt facility in Lincoln County that would connect Millcreek to the existing transmission system.

The agreement was signed by Ameren Missouri, PSC staff and Renew Missouri. The Office of the Public Counsel, which represents the public in PSC proceedings, did not sign the agreement but did not object.

Several requirements extend beyond the period before construction or battery installation.

Ameren must provide plans for restoring safe and adequate service after significant outages, site-specific hazard mitigation information and environmental response procedures. It must also address battery safety testing before installation and compliance with NFPA 855.

Other submissions are required after the facilities enter service. Those include a copy of each battery facility’s site-specific Hazard Mitigation Analysis or Hazard Mitigation Plan, along with environmental mitigation or containment procedures developed as part of its fire-response strategy.

That timing is a distinction within the agreement: some testing disclosures must come before Millcreek’s batteries are installed, while certain hazard and environmental-response documents are to be submitted after a facility goes into service.

Ameren will also be required to submit quarterly reports covering construction milestones, permitting, costs, delays and potential effects from legislative or executive actions.

If a project’s total costs change by more than 15% from the applicable base or risk-adjusted amount, Ameren must notify the commission, explain the increase and describe efforts to limit the cost.

The company must provide copies of state, federal and local permits obtained for each battery-storage project. The release does not establish that every permit has already been obtained.

Although Millcreek is the Lincoln County focus, the PSC approved a broader package that also includes the 95-megawatt Castle Bluff battery project in St. Louis County, the 200-megawatt Huck Finn battery project in Audrain County, the 175-megawatt Tom Sawyer solar project in Audrain County and the 225-megawatt Ringer solar project in Stoddard County.

The state decision is separate from Tuesday’s Lincoln County Commission discussion, which included calls for a Millcreek moratorium, questions about an unsigned emergency-response agreement and statements supporting an April planning and zoning vote.

Wednesday’s release does not resolve those local discussions. It establishes the state approval and the conditions Ameren must fulfill as Millcreek moves forward.

---

About Lincoln CountyWatch

Lincoln CountyWatch is part of the County Watch Network (CWN), an independent local news organization providing fact-based coverage of Lincoln County and the surrounding region. Our reporting includes breaking news, public safety, local government, courts, business, community events, weather, and investigative journalism.

Our newsroom is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency, fire department, EMS agency, government entity, court system, political organization, or elected official. Editorial decisions are made independently and are based on available facts, public records, court records, official documents, interviews, photographs, video evidence, on-the-record statements, and other verified sources available at the time of publication. Articles may be updated or corrected as additional verified information becomes available.

Individuals mentioned in our reporting are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. The filing or non-filing of criminal charges, an arrest, or the existence of an investigation should not be interpreted as evidence of guilt.

For corrections, clarifications, news tips, event submissions, or story ideas, contact tips@lincolncountywatch.com