Ameren to close coal plant rather than make mandated changes

By JIM SALTER
Associated Press

The St. Louis-based electric utility Ameren Corp. says in a court filing that it will close a Missouri coal plant several years early, a move that follows a court order this summer requiring pollution controls that would potentially cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The decision was announced Tuesday. In August, a federal appeals court upheld a ruling ordering Ameren to install pollution control equipment to control sulfur dioxide levels. Ameren maintains that air quality monitors near Rush Island meet federal and state standards. Ameren had been planning to close Rush Island in 2039. The court filing doesn’t give a specific closure date but says it will be before March 2024.