Missouri debate heats up over solar expansion and grid reliability

(Missouri News Service) – Missouri is considering a major expansion of large-scale solar energy through Ameren Missouri’s proposed Callaway Solar Project.

Solar power in the state has nearly tripled in recent years, with utility-scale capacity expected to increase by hundreds of megawatts in 2026. That growth comes even as coal continues to supply most of Missouri’s electricity. The Missouri Public Service Commission last week gave residents an opportunity to weigh in during a virtual public hearing.

Elyse Schaeffer, policy coordinator for the Missouri Coalition for the Environment, spoke in support of the project.

“MCE supports the proposed Callaway Solar Project, which is a sound investment in Missourians’ health, in our energy independence, and in our economic security,” Schaeffer said. “For these reasons, I urge the Public Service Commission to vote yes on this proposal.”

The commission is expected to rule on Ameren’s proposal later this spring. While many residents support the project, others have raised concerns, warning that moving too quickly away from fossil fuels could strain the power grid.

Nationally, solar is now the fastest-growing source of new electricity. The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects solar will account for more than half of all new power-generation capacity added this year.

Missouri resident Walter Roth said the pace of the transition worries him.

“The Department of Energy’s Resource Adequacy Report further predicts that power outages could surge by up to a hundred times by 2030 if reliable sources, fossil fuel plants or nuclear, are retired prematurely,” Roth said.

Jennifer DeRose, Missouri organizing strategist for the Sierra Club, argued the state has both the ability and the need to generate most of its own energy without relying on outside forces.

“We need to be focused on energy independence, we need to be focused on energy reliability, and energy security,” DeRose said. “We need projects that stabilize or lower costs for households.”

If approved, the Callaway Solar facility would begin serving customers in 2028.