Callaway Energy Center	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2014
Nuclear Waste Matters [Abstract]
CALLAWAY ENERGY CENTER	CALLAWAY ENERGY CENTER Under the NWPA, the DOE is responsible for disposing of spent nuclear fuel from the Callaway energy center and other commercial nuclear energy centers. Under the NWPA, Ameren and other utilities that own and operate those energy centers are responsible for paying the disposal costs. The NWPA established the fee that these utilities pay the federal government for disposing of the spent nuclear fuel at one mill, or one-tenth of one cent, for each kilowatthour generated and sold by those plants. The NWPA also requires the DOE annually to review the nuclear waste fee against the cost of the nuclear waste disposal program and to propose to the United States Congress any fee adjustment necessary to offset the costs of the program. As required by the NWPA, Ameren Missouri and other utilities have entered into standard contracts with the federal government. The government, represented by the DOE, is responsible for implementing these provisions of the NWPA. Consistent with the NWPA and its standard contract, Ameren Missouri had historically collected one mill from its electric customers for each kilowatthour of electricity that it generates and sells from its Callaway energy center. However, as described below, Ameren Missouri has suspended collection of this fee. Although both the NWPA and the standard contract stated that the federal government would begin to dispose of spent nuclear fuel by 1998, the federal government is not meeting its disposal obligation. Ameren Missouri has sufficient installed capacity at the Callaway energy center to store its spent nuclear fuel generated through 2020 and it has the capability for additional storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel generated through the end of the energy center’s current licensed life. The DOE's delay in carrying out its obligation to dispose of spent nuclear fuel from the Callaway energy center is not expected to adversely affect the continued operations of the energy center. In January 2013, the DOE issued its plan for the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The DOE's plan calls for a pilot interim storage facility to begin operation with an initial focus on accepting spent nuclear fuel from shutdown reactor sites by 2021. By 2025, a larger interim storage facility would be available, potentially co-located with the pilot facility on a geologic repository. The plan also proposes to begin operation of a permanent geological repository by 2048. Because the federal government is not meeting its disposal obligation, the Nuclear Energy Institute, a number of individual utilities, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners sued the DOE in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, seeking the suspension of the one mill nuclear waste fee. In November 2013, the court ordered the DOE to submit a proposal to the United States Congress to reduce the fee to zero. In January 2014, the DOE submitted that proposal, and it became effective in May 2014. Since the nuclear waste fee was previously included in Ameren Missouri’s FAC, the cost reduction will be passed on to electric utility customers with no material effect on Ameren’s or Ameren Missouri’s net income. As a result of the DOE's failure to begin to dispose of spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear energy centers and fulfill its contractual obligations, Ameren Missouri and other nuclear energy center owners have also sued the DOE to recover costs incurred for ongoing storage of their spent fuel. Ameren Missouri filed a breach of contract lawsuit to recover costs that it incurred through 2009. The lawsuit sought reimbursement for the cost of reracking the Callaway energy center’s spent fuel pool, for certain NRC fees, and for Missouri ad valorem taxes that Ameren Missouri would not have incurred had the DOE performed its contractual obligations. The parties entered into a settlement agreement that provides for annual recovery of additional spent fuel storage and related costs incurred from 2010 through 2016, with the ability to extend the recovery period as mutually agreed upon by the parties. Included in these reimbursements are costs related to a dry spent fuel storage facility that Ameren Missouri is constructing at its Callaway energy center. Ameren Missouri intends to begin transferring spent fuel assemblies to this facility in 2015. Ameren Missouri will continue to apply for reimbursement from the DOE for the cost to construct and operate the dry spent fuel storage facility along with related allowable costs. In December 2011, Ameren Missouri submitted a license extension application to the NRC to extend its Callaway energy center's operating license from 2024 to 2044. There is no deadline by which the NRC must act on this application. Among the rules upon which the NRC has historically relied in approving license extensions are rules dealing with the storage of spent nuclear fuel at the reactor site and with the NRC's confidence that permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel will be available when needed. In a June 2012 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated these rules and remanded the case to the NRC, holding that the NRC's obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act required a more thorough environmental analysis in support of the NRC's waste confidence decision. As a result, the NRC stated that it would not issue licenses dependent on the vacated rules until it appropriately addressed the court's remand. In October 2014, after it completed the required environmental analysis, the NRC lifted its suspension on final licensing decisions. In February 2015, the staff of the NRC issued its recommendation that the NRC approve Ameren Missouri's application for a 20-year renewal of the Callaway energy center's operating license. Electric utility rates currently charged to customers provide for the recovery of the Callaway energy center's decommissioning costs, which include decontamination, dismantling, and site restoration costs, over an assumed 40-year life of the nuclear center, ending with the expiration of the energy center's current operating license in 2024. Amounts collected from customers are deposited into the external nuclear decommissioning trust fund to provide for the Callaway energy center’s decommissioning. It is assumed that the Callaway energy center site will be decommissioned through the immediate dismantlement method and removed from service. Ameren and Ameren Missouri have recorded an ARO for the Callaway energy center decommissioning costs at fair value, which represents the present value of estimated future cash outflows. Annual decommissioning costs of $7 million are included in the costs of service used to establish electric rates for Ameren Missouri's customers. Every three years, the MoPSC requires Ameren Missouri to file an updated cost study and funding analysis for decommissioning its Callaway energy center. Electric rates may be adjusted at such times to reflect changed estimates. The last cost study and funding analysis was filed with the MoPSC in September 2011. The MoPSC has authorized a delay of the 2014 cost study and funding analysis filing until 2015 pending the outcome of Ameren Missouri’s operating license extension application under review by the NRC. Following the NRC’s decision regarding Ameren Missouri’s operating license extension application, an updated cost study and a revised funding analysis will be filed. Rates charged to customers will be adjusted accordingly, as approved by the MoPSC, to reflect the operating license extension application decision, the updated cost study and the revised funding analysis. If the assumed return on trust assets is not earned, we believe that it is probable that any such earnings deficiency will be recovered in rates. The fair value of the trust fund for Ameren Missouri's Callaway energy center is reported as "Nuclear decommissioning trust fund" in Ameren's and Ameren Missouri's balance sheets. This amount is legally restricted and may be used only to fund the costs of nuclear decommissioning. Changes in the fair value of the trust fund are recorded as an increase or decrease to the nuclear decommissioning trust fund, with an offsetting adjustment to the related regulatory liability. See Note 2 – Rate and Regulatory Matters and Note 9 – Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund Investments for additional information related to the Callaway energy center.

CALLAWAY ENERGY CENTER

Under the NWPA, the DOE is responsible for disposing of spent nuclear fuel from the Callaway energy center and other commercial nuclear energy centers. Under the NWPA, Ameren and other utilities that own and operate those energy centers are responsible for paying the disposal costs. The NWPA established the fee that these utilities pay the federal government for disposing of the spent nuclear fuel at one mill, or one-tenth of one cent, for each kilowatthour generated and sold by those plants. The NWPA also requires the DOE annually to review the nuclear waste fee against the cost of the nuclear waste disposal program and to propose to the United States Congress any fee adjustment necessary to offset the costs of the program. As required by the NWPA, Ameren Missouri and other utilities have entered into standard contracts with the federal government. The government, represented by the DOE, is responsible for implementing these provisions of the NWPA. Consistent with the NWPA and its standard contract, Ameren Missouri had historically collected one mill from its electric customers for each kilowatthour of electricity that it generates and sells from its Callaway energy center. However, as described below, Ameren Missouri has suspended collection of this fee.

Although both the NWPA and the standard contract stated that the federal government would begin to dispose of spent nuclear fuel by 1998, the federal government is not meeting its disposal obligation. Ameren Missouri has sufficient installed capacity at the Callaway energy center to store its spent nuclear fuel generated through 2020 and it has the capability for additional storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel generated through the end of the energy center’s current licensed life. The DOE's delay in carrying out its obligation to dispose of spent nuclear fuel from the Callaway energy center is not expected to adversely affect the continued operations of the energy center.

In January 2013, the DOE issued its plan for the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The DOE's plan calls for a pilot interim storage facility to begin operation with an initial focus on accepting spent nuclear fuel from shutdown reactor sites by 2021. By 2025, a larger interim storage facility would be available, potentially co-located with the pilot facility on a geologic repository. The plan also proposes to begin operation of a permanent geological repository by 2048.

Because the federal government is not meeting its disposal obligation, the Nuclear Energy Institute, a number of individual utilities, and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners sued the DOE in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, seeking the suspension of the one mill nuclear waste fee. In November 2013, the court ordered the DOE to submit a proposal to the United States Congress to reduce the fee to zero. In January 2014, the DOE submitted that proposal, and it became effective in May 2014. Since the nuclear waste fee was previously included in Ameren Missouri’s FAC, the cost reduction will be passed on to electric utility customers with no material effect on Ameren’s or Ameren Missouri’s net income.

As a result of the DOE's failure to begin to dispose of spent nuclear fuel from commercial nuclear energy centers and fulfill its contractual obligations, Ameren Missouri and other nuclear energy center owners have also sued the DOE to recover costs incurred for ongoing storage of their spent fuel. Ameren Missouri filed a breach of contract lawsuit to recover costs that it incurred through 2009. The lawsuit sought reimbursement for the cost of reracking the Callaway energy center’s spent fuel pool, for certain NRC fees, and for Missouri ad valorem taxes that Ameren Missouri would not have incurred had the DOE performed its contractual obligations. The parties entered into a settlement agreement that provides for annual recovery of additional spent fuel storage and related costs incurred from 2010 through 2016, with the ability to extend the recovery period as mutually agreed upon by the parties. Included in these reimbursements are costs related to a dry spent fuel storage facility that Ameren Missouri is constructing at its Callaway energy center. Ameren Missouri intends to begin transferring spent fuel assemblies to this facility in 2015. Ameren Missouri will continue to apply for reimbursement from the DOE for the cost to construct and operate the dry spent fuel storage facility along with related allowable costs.

In December 2011, Ameren Missouri submitted a license extension application to the NRC to extend its Callaway energy center's operating license from 2024 to 2044. There is no deadline by which the NRC must act on this application. Among the rules upon which the NRC has historically relied in approving license extensions are rules dealing with the storage of spent nuclear fuel at the reactor site and with the NRC's confidence that permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel will be available when needed. In a June 2012 decision, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated these rules and remanded the case to the NRC, holding that the NRC's obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act required a more thorough environmental analysis in support of the NRC's waste confidence decision. As a result, the NRC stated that it would not issue licenses dependent on the vacated rules until it appropriately addressed the court's remand. In October 2014, after it completed the required environmental analysis, the NRC lifted its suspension on final licensing decisions. In February 2015, the staff of the NRC issued its recommendation that the NRC approve Ameren Missouri's application for a 20-year renewal of the Callaway energy center's operating license.

Electric utility rates currently charged to customers provide for the recovery of the Callaway energy center's decommissioning costs, which include decontamination, dismantling, and site restoration costs, over an assumed 40-year life of the nuclear center, ending with the expiration of the energy center's current operating license in 2024. Amounts collected from customers are deposited into the external nuclear decommissioning trust fund to provide for the Callaway energy center’s decommissioning. It is assumed that the Callaway energy center site will be decommissioned through the immediate dismantlement method and removed from service. Ameren and Ameren Missouri have recorded an ARO for the Callaway energy center decommissioning costs at fair value, which represents the present value of estimated future cash outflows. Annual decommissioning costs of $7 million are included in the costs of service used to establish electric rates for Ameren Missouri's customers. Every three years, the MoPSC requires Ameren Missouri to file an updated cost study and funding analysis for decommissioning its Callaway energy center. Electric rates may be adjusted at such times to reflect changed estimates. The last cost study and funding analysis was filed with the MoPSC in September 2011. The MoPSC has authorized a delay of the 2014 cost study and funding analysis filing until 2015 pending the outcome of Ameren Missouri’s operating license extension application under review by the NRC. Following the NRC’s decision regarding Ameren Missouri’s operating license extension application, an updated cost study and a revised funding analysis will be filed. Rates charged to customers will be adjusted accordingly, as approved by the MoPSC, to reflect the operating license extension application decision, the updated cost study and the revised funding analysis. If the assumed return on trust assets is not earned, we believe that it is probable that any such earnings deficiency will be recovered in rates. The fair value of the trust fund for Ameren Missouri's Callaway energy center is reported as "Nuclear decommissioning trust fund" in Ameren's and Ameren Missouri's balance sheets. This amount is legally restricted and may be used only to fund the costs of nuclear decommissioning. Changes in the fair value of the trust fund are recorded as an increase or decrease to the nuclear decommissioning trust fund, with an offsetting adjustment to the related regulatory liability.

See Note 2 – Rate and Regulatory Matters and Note 9 – Nuclear Decommissioning Trust Fund Investments for additional information related to the Callaway energy center.