JEFFERSON CITY, MO – Today, Governor Mike Kehoe and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) released the newly developed Missouri State Energy Plan, following a meeting of the Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force.
Established by Executive Order 26-04, the Missouri Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force is charged with evaluating and guiding the state’s strategic approach to nuclear energy development and implementing many of the State Energy Plan’s policy recommendations.
“Economic development and growth rely on the availability of affordable, reliable electricity,” said Governor Kehoe. “Over the past decade, Missouri has become increasingly dependent on energy sources from outside of the state. This plan charts a path for Missouri to take better control of its energy future over the next two decades, working to improve reliability, lower consumer costs, drive economic growth and put Missouri First.”
The MoDNR led the State Energy Plan’s development to provide local and state decisionmakers with essential energy demand and economic analyses, and to ensure that Missouri’s energy priorities are sufficiently incorporated into the national energy conversation.
The State Energy Plan is built upon four pillars:
- Energy Independence: Over the past decade, Missouri shifted from being a net exporter of electricity to a net importer. The plan prioritizes more in-state energy generation to reverse the outward flow of economic investment, attract billions of dollars in new industrial opportunities and recover thousands of direct and indirect jobs.
- Nuclear Enablement: Missouri’s dispatchable power has been shutting down due to market forces and federal regulations. This trend conflicts with unprecedented electricity demand growth. Nuclear power is the only baseload electricity option that is both on-demand and carbon-free while also diversifying the state’s energy portfolio to avoid overreliance on any one fuel.
- Economic Growth: An increasing share of Missourians’ electricity bills goes to support jobs, taxes and economic development in other states. Building new in-state energy generation ensures reliable power for our homes and businesses and supports direct and indirect economic activity related to the power sector. These benefits are even greater when considering investments in nuclear power.
- Reliability: Maintaining reliable power is becoming a greater challenge as legacy baseload and dispatchable power plants retire. The State Energy Plan’s policy recommendations are designed to support increased investment in reliable power sources, as well as to bolster the grid through customer-oriented solutions.
“Missouri First policies will improve reliability and cost through energy independence,” said Jake Buxton, Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. “The modeling provided in the State Energy Plan demonstrates that we can bring energy generation back to Missouri in a cost-effective way and drive economic growth both from new loads coming onto the grid and building new generation locally. Nuclear power, in particular, can play a key role in diversifying our portfolio with dispatchable capacity while driving economic growth from plant construction and operation.”
The MoDNR will continue to advise and engage with local, state and federal partners to proactively represent and advance Missouri’s energy goals.
To learn more about the State Energy Plan, please visit dnr.mo.gov/energy/what-were-doing/state-plan or contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Division of Energy at 573-751-2254 or toll-free at 855-522-2796.