Missouri electric utility AmerenUE on Thursday signed its first wind power deal, an agreement to purchase 102 megawatts from Horizon Wind Energy's Pioneer Prairie Wind Farm in Iowa.

The subsidiary of Ameren Corp. said it will be buying more power from renewable sources in the future.

The energy it will purchase is enough to power 26,000 households. It is a move to meet a goal of adding 100 MW of renewable capacity to serve its Missouri customers by 2010, the company said in a statement.

Ameren Corp. serves approximately 2.4 million electricity customers and nearly 1 million natural gas customers in Missouri and Illinois.

We will be looking for additional opportunities as we increase the amount of renewable resources in our generating portfolio. This is a significant first step toward further diversifying our fuel mix and demonstrating our commitment to environmental stewardship, Warner L. Baxter., AmerenUE President and Chief Executive Officer said in a statement today.

The agreement is valid for 15 years and will begin on September 1, 2009. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Ameren owns a diverse mix of electricity generating plants with a generating capacity of more than 16,400 MW.

Energy