Earlier this week, Ameren Missouri's Rush Creek Coal plant units were designated SSR (system support resources) by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). As recently as December 2021, the plant was scheduled for closure in the spring of 2024, with possible suspension of operations in September 2022. The new target for closure is mid-2025. That date corresponds with plans to energize 4 new transmission lines in the region -- designed to maintain grid voltage. MISO's Rush Creek decision has not been the only one impacting coal resources in MISO. In mid-June, three coal plants in Wisconsin were granted 18-month extensions to their proposed retirement dates -- all for reliability purposes.
Rush Creek has been a major electricity contributor over the years. Over the past two decades the plant has generated more than 160 million MWh . . . as recently as 2021, the plant accounted for 10.6% of all electricity produced in Missouri.
