Customers of Ameren Missouri may see their electric bills go up again next year — though a newly proposed program could offer relief to some ratepayers.
The privately owned utility filed a request to raise rates by about 10%, which comes to $13 a month for the average residential bill. The new rate would take effect in mid-2027.
The increase would net Ameren Missouri an additional $343 million, which the utility says will pay for investments it's already made to the power grid.
To take effect, rate increases for utilities in Missouri must be approved by the Public Service Commission, whose five members are nominated by the governor and approved by the state Senate. The commission stages an 11-month investigative process that includes opportunities for the public to weigh in.
"We always want to make sure that the voice of consumers is actually heard and that the concerns that they have about the cost of utility rates are actually paid attention to," said Ed Bryant, executive director of the Consumers Council of Missouri, which has opposed some previous rate hikes.
The organization is still studying Ameren Missouri's proposal, Bryant said, but is paying particular attention to the structure of a plan that would offer relief to some customers who may struggle to pay a higher electric bill.
Updating the grid
Revenue from the proposed rate hike would pay for upgrades to the utility's infrastructure.
They include repairing electric distribution lines that were damaged by the May 2025 tornado in north St. Louis and southeast Missouri, replacing other power lines and utility poles with new ones meant to withstand severe weather and efforts to incorporate "smart technology" to identify and repair power outages more quickly, Ameren Missouri said in a statement.
"There's never a good time to ask to adjust electric rates, but it's necessary to maintain the grid," said Rob Dixon, vice president of regulatory and legislative affairs for Ameren Missouri, "so that we can continue to provide reliable power for our customers. This request reflects the infrastructure investments that we've already made and that are already serving our customers."
The rate proposal is not motivated by increased energy demand from data centers, the company said.
Rising electric bills
Missouri ratepayers have seen their electric bills increase in recent years. A 2024 study found that Ameren's infrastructure spending, rather than rising fuel costs, accounted between 2020 and 2023 for an average bill increase of nearly 20% for residential customers during summer and 21% in the winter.
In its latest request to raise rates, Ameren Missouri asked to implement a new discount rate for people having trouble paying their bills.
People whose annual income is less than 150% of the federal poverty line — $23,914 for an individual and $49,500 for a four-person household — would get a 20% discount. 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. But beyond that, if they are struggling, we can help. We have assistance programs, there's community action agencies we work with and we're happy to put our customers in contact with anybody that can help them," Dixon said.
Ameren Missouri raised its rates by 12% in June 2025, netting an additional $355 million for the company. It initially requested a 15% hike. The company cited investments in harvesting wind and solar energy at the time. An earlier rate increase went into effect in 2023, resulting in $140 million in additional revenue.
The publicly traded company earned $76 million in the first quarter of the year, up from $42 million over the same period in 2025.
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