JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri utility regulators have scheduled local public hearings over an electric rate increase requested by Ameren Missouri.
Hearings Thursday will be at noon at Harris-Stowe State University and at 6 p.m. at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Later hearings also have been scheduled in numerous communities served by St. Louis-based Ameren, including Jefferson City, St. Charles, Cape Girardeau and Kirksville.
Formal evidentiary hearings in the rate case are scheduled to start Sept. 24 in Jefferson City.
Ameren Missouri in February asked for a 14.6 percent, or $376 million, electric rate increase. The power company says the rate increase is needed to pay for work to reduce outages, environmental and infrastructure upgrades and to offset higher fuel costs. It has 1.2 million customers mostly in central and eastern Missouri.