Callaway Energy Center	12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2012
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 by those plants and sold. The NWPA also requires the DOE 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 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 collects one mill from its electric customers for each kilowatthour of electricity that it generates and sells from its Callaway energy center. 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 has acknowledged since at least 1994 that it would not meet that deadline. The federal government is not currently predicting when it will begin to meet its disposal obligation. Ameren Missouri has sufficient installed capacity at its Callaway energy center to store the spent nuclear fuel generated at Callaway through 2020 and has the capability for additional storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel generated through the end of the energy center’s current licensed life. Until January 2009, the DOE program provided for spent nuclear fuel disposal to take place at a geologic repository to be constructed at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In January 2009, the federal government announced that a repository at Yucca Mountain was unworkable and took steps to terminate the Yucca Mountain program, while acknowledging the federal government’s continuing obligation to dispose of utilities’ spent nuclear fuel. In January 2012, an advisory commission established by the DOE issued its report of recommendations for the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The recommendations covered topics such as the approach to siting future nuclear waste management facilities, the transport and storage of spent fuel and high-level waste, options for waste disposal, institutional arrangements for managing spent nuclear fuel and high-level wastes, and changes needed in the handling of nuclear waste fees and of the Nuclear Waste Fund. In January 2013, the DOE issued its plan for the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel in response to the recommendation contained in the advisory commission's report. 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 and would be co-located with the pilot facility. The plan also proposes to site a permanent geological repository by 2026, to characterize the site and to design and to license the repository by 2042, and to begin operation by 2048. In view of the federal government's efforts to terminate the Yucca Mountain program, 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, alleging that the DOE failed to undertake an appropriate fee adequacy review reflecting the current unsettled state of the nuclear waste program. In a June 2012 decision, the court ruled that DOE's fee adequacy review was legally inadequate and remanded the matter to the DOE. Although the court ruled it has the power to direct the DOE to suspend the fee, the court decided that it was premature to do so. Instead, the court ordered the DOE to provide within six months a revised assessment of the amount that should be collected. On January 19, 2013, the DOE issued the revised assessment required by the court. The DOE determined that “neither insufficient nor excess revenues are being collected” and it proposed no adjustment to the one mill nuclear waste fee. 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 operation of the energy center. As a result of DOE's failure to begin to dispose of the utilities' spent nuclear fuel 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. This amount included the cost of reracking the Callaway energy center’s spent fuel pool, as well as certain NRC fees, and Missouri ad valorem taxes that Ameren Missouri would not have incurred had DOE performed its contractual obligations. In June 2011, the parties reached a settlement that included a payment to Ameren Missouri of $11 million for spent fuel storage and related costs through 2010 and, thereafter, annual payment of such costs after they are incurred through 2013 or any other mutually agreed extension. As a result of this settlement agreement, Ameren Missouri recorded a pretax reduction of $2 million and $2 million to its “Operating Expenses - Depreciation and amortization” and “Operating Expenses - Other operations and maintenance” expense line items, respectively, on its statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2011. Ameren Missouri reduced its property and plant net assets by $7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Ameren Missouri received the 2011 cost reimbursement of $1 million and reduced its property and plant net assets by this amount in 2012. In March 2013, Ameren Missouri plans to submit approximately $5 million of 2012 costs to the DOE for reimbursement under the settlement agreement. In December 2011, Ameren Missouri filed a license extension application with 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 that the NRC has historically relied upon 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. In June 2012, a number of groups petitioned the NRC to suspend final licensing decisions in certain NRC licensing proceedings, including the Callaway license extension, until the NRC completed its proceedings on the vacated rules. In August 2012, the NRC stated that it would not issue licenses dependent on the vacated rules until it appropriately addressed the court's remand. In September 2012, the NRC directed its staff to issue, within two years, a generic environmental impact statement and a final rule to address the court's ruling. The NRC also stated that a site-specific analysis of these issues could be conducted in rare circumstances. If the Callaway energy center's license is extended, additional spent fuel storage will be required. Ameren Missouri plans to install a dry spent fuel storage facility at its Callaway energy center and intends to begin transferring spent fuel assemblies to this facility by 2016. Electric utility rates 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. 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. Decommissioning costs are included in the costs of service used to establish electric rates for Ameren Missouri's customers. These costs amounted to $7 million in each of the years 2012, 2011, and 2010. 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 were filed with the MoPSC in September 2011. In October 2012, the MoPSC issued an order approving the stipulation and agreement between Ameren Missouri and the MoPSC staff that maintained the current rate of deposits to the trust fund and the rate of return assumptions used in the analysis. If Ameren Missouri's operating license extension application is approved by the NRC, a revised funding analysis will be prepared and the rates charged to customers will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the operating license extension at the time the next triennial cost study and funding analysis is approved by the MoPSC. Amounts collected from customers are deposited in an external trust fund to provide for the Callaway energy center's decommissioning. 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 nuclear decommissioning 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 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 by those plants and sold. The NWPA also requires the DOE 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 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 collects one mill from its electric customers for each kilowatthour of electricity that it generates and sells from its Callaway energy center.

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 has acknowledged since at least 1994 that it would not meet that deadline. The federal government is not currently predicting when it will begin to meet its disposal obligation. Ameren Missouri has sufficient installed capacity at its Callaway energy center to store the spent nuclear fuel generated at Callaway through 2020 and has the capability for additional storage capacity for spent nuclear fuel generated through the end of the energy center’s current licensed life.

Until January 2009, the DOE program provided for spent nuclear fuel disposal to take place at a geologic repository to be constructed at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. In January 2009, the federal government announced that a repository at Yucca Mountain was unworkable and took steps to terminate the Yucca Mountain program, while acknowledging the federal government’s continuing obligation to dispose of utilities’ spent nuclear fuel. In January 2012, an advisory commission established by the DOE issued its report of recommendations for the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel. The recommendations covered topics such as the approach to siting future nuclear waste management facilities, the transport and storage of spent fuel and high-level waste, options for waste disposal, institutional arrangements for managing spent nuclear fuel and high-level wastes, and changes needed in the handling of nuclear waste fees and of the Nuclear Waste Fund.

In January 2013, the DOE issued its plan for the management and disposal of spent nuclear fuel in response to the recommendation contained in the advisory commission's report. 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 and would be co-located with the pilot facility. The plan also proposes to site a permanent geological repository by 2026, to characterize the site and to design and to license the repository by 2042, and to begin operation by 2048.

In view of the federal government's efforts to terminate the Yucca Mountain program, 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, alleging that the DOE failed to undertake an appropriate fee adequacy review reflecting the current unsettled state of the nuclear waste program. In a June 2012 decision, the court ruled that DOE's fee adequacy review was legally inadequate and remanded the matter to the DOE. Although the court ruled it has the power to direct the DOE to suspend the fee, the court decided that it was premature to do so. Instead, the court ordered the DOE to provide within six months a revised assessment of the amount that should be collected. On January 19, 2013, the DOE issued the revised assessment required by the court. The DOE determined that “neither insufficient nor excess revenues are being collected” and it proposed no adjustment to the one mill nuclear waste fee.

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 operation of the energy center.

As a result of DOE's failure to begin to dispose of the utilities' spent nuclear fuel 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. This amount included the cost of reracking the Callaway energy center’s spent fuel pool, as well as certain NRC fees, and Missouri ad valorem taxes that Ameren Missouri would not have incurred had DOE performed its contractual obligations. In June 2011, the parties reached a settlement that included a payment to Ameren Missouri of $11 million for spent fuel storage and related costs through 2010 and, thereafter, annual payment of such costs after they are incurred through 2013 or any other mutually agreed extension. As a result of this settlement agreement, Ameren Missouri recorded a pretax reduction of $2 million and $2 million to its “Operating Expenses - Depreciation and amortization” and “Operating Expenses - Other operations and maintenance” expense line items, respectively, on its statement of income for the year ended December 31, 2011. Ameren Missouri reduced its property and plant net assets by $7 million for the year ended December 31, 2011. Ameren Missouri received the 2011 cost reimbursement of $1 million and reduced its property and plant net assets by this amount in 2012. In March 2013, Ameren Missouri plans to submit approximately $5 million of 2012 costs to the DOE for reimbursement under the settlement agreement.

In December 2011, Ameren Missouri filed a license extension application with 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 that the NRC has historically relied upon 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. In June 2012, a number of groups petitioned the NRC to suspend final licensing decisions in certain NRC licensing proceedings, including the Callaway license extension, until the NRC completed its proceedings on the vacated rules. In August 2012, the NRC stated that it would not issue licenses dependent on the vacated rules until it appropriately addressed the court's remand. In September 2012, the NRC directed its staff to issue, within two years, a generic environmental impact statement and a final rule to address the court's ruling. The NRC also stated that a site-specific analysis of these issues could be conducted in rare circumstances. If the Callaway energy center's license is extended, additional spent fuel storage will be required. Ameren Missouri plans to install a dry spent fuel storage facility at its Callaway energy center and intends to begin transferring spent fuel assemblies to this facility by 2016.

Electric utility rates 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. 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. Decommissioning costs are included in the costs of service used to establish electric rates for Ameren Missouri's customers. These costs amounted to $7 million in each of the years 2012, 2011, and 2010. 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 were filed with the MoPSC in September 2011. In October 2012, the MoPSC issued an order approving the stipulation and agreement between Ameren Missouri and the MoPSC staff that maintained the current rate of deposits to the trust fund and the rate of return assumptions used in the analysis. If Ameren Missouri's operating license extension application is approved by the NRC, a revised funding analysis will be prepared and the rates charged to customers will be adjusted accordingly to reflect the operating license extension at the time the next triennial cost study and funding analysis is approved by the MoPSC. Amounts collected from customers are deposited in an external trust fund to provide for the Callaway energy center's decommissioning. 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 nuclear decommissioning 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 for additional information related to the Callaway energy center.