The average Ameren Missouri homeowner would pay $13 more a month under a rate request the utility has filed, a rise of about 10%. The new rate would take effect in mid-2027.
The increase would bring the company an additional $343 million. Ameren Missouri says that money covers investments it has already made in the power grid, not new spending.
Rob Dixon, the utility’s vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs, put it bluntly. “There’s never a good time to ask to adjust electric rates, but it’s necessary to maintain the grid,” he said. “This request reflects the infrastructure investments that we’ve already made and that are already serving our customers.” The company said the proposal is not driven by higher energy demand from data centers.
What the money pays for
Ameren Missouri listed several projects in a statement. They include repairs to distribution lines damaged by the May 2025 tornado in north St. Louis and southeast Missouri, new power lines and utility poles built to withstand severe weather, and “smart technology” meant to find and fix outages faster.
A discount for customers who struggle
The filing also asks to create a new discount rate. Customers with annual income below 150% of the federal poverty line, which is $23,914 for one person and $49,500 for a household of four, would get 20% off. Other ratepayers could qualify for a 10% discount.
“If any customers are struggling today, they should know that rates are not changing for nearly a year,” Dixon said. He added that the company has assistance programs and works with community action agencies.
Review and history
Missouri’s Public Service Commission must approve any utility rate increase. Its five members are nominated by the governor and confirmed by the state Senate, and the commission runs an 11-month investigation with chances for public comment.
Ed Bryant, executive director of the Consumers Council of Missouri, which has opposed some earlier rate hikes, said his group is still studying the proposal. He is watching the structure of the relief plan in particular. “We always want to make sure that the voice of consumers is actually heard,” he said.
Bills have been rising. A 2024 study found that Ameren’s infrastructure spending, not fuel costs, drove an average residential increase of nearly 20% in summer and 21% in winter between 2020 and 2023. In June 2025 the company raised rates 12%, worth an additional $355 million, after first asking for 15%; it cited investments in wind and solar at the time. An earlier increase took effect in 2023 and added $140 million in revenue.
The publicly traded company earned $76 million in the first quarter of this year, up from $42 million in the same period of 2025.
