Wind power in Missouri
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
As of 2016, Missouri had 959 MW of installed capacity, all installed in the north-west corner of the state.[1] At least six wind farms were developed by Wind Capital Group between 2006 and 2009. As of 2017, the largest wind farm in the state came online, the 300 MW Rock Creek Wind Farm in Atchison County.[3]
Northwest Missouri is considered the windiest portion of the state and clips the windiest portion of the country which is known as Tornado Alley.
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| Project | County | City | Turbines | Nominal Power (MW) | Commissioned | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Ridge | Gentry | King City | 27 | 56.7 | 2008 | [6] Developed by Wind Capital Group (now owned by Exelon). Wind Capital's founder is Tom Carnahan, son of Missouri Governor Mel Carnahan and U.S. Senator Jean Carnahan |
| Clear Creek Energy Center | Nodaway | Maryville | 111 | 242 | 2020 | [7] Developed by Tenaska with lease by Associated Electric Cooperative in Springfield to provide power for rural electric cooperatives in Missouri, Iowa and Oklahoma.[7][8] |
| Conception | Nodaway | Conception | 24 | 50.4 | 2008 | [9] Developed by Wind Capital Group (now owned by Exelon) |
| Cow Branch | Atchison | Rockport | 24 | 50.4 | 2008 | [10] Developed by Wind Capital Group (now owned by Exelon) |
| Farmers City | Atchison | Westboro | 73 | 146.0 | 2009 | [11] Owned by and developed by Iberdrola Renovables. |
| High Prairie | Adair, Schuyler | Marshfield,Seymour | 175 [12] | 400 [12] | 2020 [13][14] |
Project started by Terra-Gen_LLC., currently owned by Ameren since December 2020.[12][15] Taken offline from 2024-2025 due to the collapse of three turbines.[16] |
| Loess Hills | Atchison | Rockport | 4 | 5.0 | 2008 | First city in US to get its total power from wind.[17] Developed by Wind Capital Group (now owned by Exelon) |
| Lost Creek Ridge | DeKalb | Union Star | 100 | 150.0 | 2011 | [18] Developed by Wind Capital Group and later sold to Pattern Energy. |
| Osborn | Dekalb | Osborn | 88 | 176.0 | 2016 | [19] Developed and owned by NextEra Energy. |
| Rock Creek | Atchison | York | 150 | 300.0 | 2017 | Largest in Missouri and cost $500 Million[20] Owned and developed by Enel Green Power (after acquisition in 2019 of Kansas-based Tradewind Energy).[21] |
| White Cloud | Nodaway | Maryville | 89 | 236.5 | 2020 | Owned and developed by Enel Green Power. 11 Vestas and 78 Siemens Gamesa turbines.[22] Cost was $380 million.[23] |
Transmission capacity
There have been several attempts at getting regulatory approval of transmission lines to carry wind power, either to the load centers of Missouri, or through Missouri, from major wind power producers in the Great Plains states to load centers further east.
Completed
- The Midwest Transmission Project is a 180-mile 345-kV transmission line which became active in 2017. It connects the Omaha Public Power District (at its Nebraska City, Nebraska substation with the Kansas City Power & Light substation at Sibley, Missouri and has one major substation in Maryville, Missouri. The line was not specifically designed to supplement the wind grid but FAQ notes it "will create opportunities for existing and new future wind energy to access to the regional transmission system." It is a priority project of the Southwest Power Pool.[24]
- The Mark Twain Transmission Project was proposed by Ameren to connect Palmyra, Kirksville and Iowa.[25] Approval was given for construction by each of the counties the transmission lines passed through, and the line was energized in January 2020.[26]
Proposed
- The Grain Belt Express is a proposed 4 GW transmission line from western Kansas to Indiana.[27][28] The Missouri Public Service Commission twice rejected the proposal, initially due to questions of the benefits of the project to the state, and later due to a lack of assent from all counties.[29][30] The Missouri Eastern District Court of Appeals ruled the commission erred in its second rejection,[31] but sent the case to the Missouri Supreme Court.[28] The company was awarded the right to use eminent domain for the necessary easments to complete the project, but asserted that most had been acquired through negotiations with landowners.[32] The Department of Energy awarded the project a $4.9 billion conditional loan guarantee in late 2024.[32] This loan guarantee was later canceled in 2025, though the project was reported as continuing with private financing as of September 2025.[33][34]
Planned growth
In October 2017, the Empire District Electric Company proposed installing 500 MW of wind turbines in Jasper, Barton, Dade, and Lawrence counties.[35][36][37]
In February 2019, E.ON announced plans for a 150 MW wind farm northwest of Columbia, Missouri in rural Boone County.[38]
