JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Ameren Missouri customers might see higher bills than usual for the foreseeable future as the company plans to raise its natural gas costs.
The Missouri Public Service Commission announced the change Thursday. According to the commission, residential customers currently pay around $0.77 per ccf (hundred cubic feet of natural gas). Under the new rates, customers will pay around $0.93 per ccf, a 16-cent increase.
State officials say around 50-55% of a customer’s natural gas bill reflects the cost of gas for natural gas suppliers. The wholesale cost of natural gas, which Ameren pays to its suppliers of natural gas, is not regulated by the Missouri Public Service Commission. Other costs are primarily driven by supply, demand and weather.
Ameren Missouri announced an update to its 20-year energy plan on Thursday, but did not disclose changes to energy rates in a news release. The company serves around 133,600 natural gas customers over dozens of Missouri counties, including St. Charles, Lincoln, Gascondae and other counties near St. Louis.