Ameren is committed to responsible environmental management throughout our site closure and rehabilitation processes. Part of the life cycle of any of our facilities is preparing for its eventual closure. We develop site closure plans well in advance of closure, in accordance with our regulatory agencies, and set aside the funds needed to remediate the properties. For example, as Ameren Missouri prepares to retire the coal-powered Meramec Energy Center in 2022, we are already thinking about how we will dismantle the energy generation portion of the facility, explore potential future uses of existing office space and land, and remediate the surrounding sites.
In most cases, we are managing sites where predecessor's operations have long-since ceased, such as manufactured gas plant (MGP) sites. Operations at some of these sites started in the 1850s, where gas was manufactured by heating coal. As natural gas became more abundant, these sites were closed, leaving behind by-products, like coal tar, buried at many of those sites. Our goal for sites like these is to remediate soil and groundwater in the area and ultimately restore the land for community use or return it to nature. Working through state voluntary cleanup programs, we plan to finish known remediation of MGP sites by the end of 2023.
Site Closures At-a-Glance:
Ameren is responsible for remediation projects throughout our service territory, with the goal to ultimately return the remediated landscape to something useful. We’re proud that Ameren’s remediation projects have earned recognition for excellence and innovation from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
We work with multiple state and federal regulatory agencies to update and complete site closure plans, allowing for land rehabilitation, repurposing and/or re-use. We also align this work with our biodiversity policy to ensure we are protecting habitats for native plants and wildlife. Throughout the site closure process, Ameren engages with multiple stakeholders, including local community members and leaders to minimize community disruption.