ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Ameren Missouri says it does not expect to enact any rolling blackouts in Missouri, after all.
In a conference call with reporters, Vice President of Operations Kevin Anders says the utility warned of the possibility in Central Missouri only as a precaution.
But now, Anders says, Ameren Missouri's supply and demand has stabilized – and he doesn't expect them.
Related
"Right now, we're just seeing our system operate stably," Anders said, "and we just aren't seeing the need, and don't anticipate the need, to implement those rolling outages."
Earlier Tuesday, the town of New Haven, Missouri, about 60 miles west of St. Louis, reported that Ameren Missouri had warned them about the possible need for 20-minute outages in central Missouri.
Asked about that, Anders says it was just a precaution and is no longer on the table, because energy demand has dropped sharply on Tuesday, compared with Monday.
Ameren Missouri is still asking customers to conserve electricity, to abstain from using major appliances such as dryers or ovens, if possible, for a day or so.
Asked if the utility could enact rolling outages in Missouri to have enough electricity to sell to other parts of the country, Anders vows that's not a consideration.
"We would not do that," Anders said, "We would not expose our customers to rolling blackouts in order to sell energy to other parts of the country. That's not a model we would pursue."
The price of electricity is rising because of the demand nationwide, but Anders says he doesn't know whether it could result in higher rates for Ameren Missouri customers in the future.
Going forward, Anders says the weather forecast bodes well. The forecast for St. Louis this weekend calls for highs above freezing, in the mid 30s.
Anders says the state could be out of the woods on possible rolling outages by Wednesday night into Thursday.
As for his own energy conservation, Anders was asked what he sets his own thermostat on at home.
"I have a lot of family members who give me a hard time when they come over--it's about 65 degrees," he said.
© 2020 KMOX (Entercom). All rights reserved