The Missouri Public Service Commission approved a stipulation and agreement authorizing Ameren Missouri to establish and implement a large-load customer rate plan for entities such as the proposed data centers for Warrenton and Montgomery County Nov. 24.

The approval will be effective Dec. 4 and effectively concludes the rate case before the PSC that was filed by Ameren on May 14, pursuant to Senate Bill 4, which required a plan be submitted by Ameren.

Under the terms of the agreement Ameren is authorized to implement a large-load rate plan with the following provisions:

• The plan applies to any new facility with a peak load forecast to be equal to or in excess of a monthly maximum demand of 75 megawatts.
• Large-load customers will receive service at 115 kilovolts or higher and will own or be financially responsible for construction and operation of distribution substations to serve them.
• Large-load customers must take service for a minimum of 12 years and may take service for an additional load ramp-up period of five years. The service term would automatically extend for an additional five years unless either Ameren or the customer provides at least a 36-month notice. If the customer provides notice they will still be responsible for an exit fee and possible early termination fee.
• The agreement also provides that a percentage of excess revenues from large load customers be returned to the benefit of all customers of the utility, with excess revenues above a fixed percentage being exclusively dedicated to low-income customers.
• Large-load customers will be required to provide collateral in an amount equal to two years of minimum monthly bills. There are also provisions relating to required credit ratings.
• Offers large load rate plan customers the option to participate in additional generation and capacity programs, including nuclear and clean energy programs.

The PSC’s approval comes following a months-long process that involved filings from a number of different entities including Amazon Data Services, Google LLC, Evergy, Liberty, Missouri Industrial Energy Consumers, Sierra Club and Renew Missouri Advocates. The Missouri Office of Public Counsel also was a party to the case.

According to the PSC’s Nov. 24 order, the commission had originally set an evidentiary hearing on Ameren’s application, but the start of that hearing was delayed by requests for further settlement negotiations. Four different nonunanimous agreements were filed, with the final agreement having been filed on Nov. 20.

The public counsel was not a signatory to that agreement. The public counsel’s position is that while it did not join the agreement, it also didn’t oppose it, according to documents. In the notes of the PSC’s order it was noted that the parties did not see eye-to-eye on the agreement. The public counsel had previously filed certain concerns with Ameren’s proposal. Specifically, Public Counsel Chief Economist Geoff Marke objected to the mandatory time-frame for large-load customer agreements, suggesting they should be at least 20 years in length. He also questioned the minimum payment percentage Ameren was seeking from such customers, again suggesting that the percentage should be higher.