Major Portion of Ameren's Northern Missouri Grid Approved by the Missouri Publice Service Commission
On July 16, 2025, the Missouri Public Service Commission approved a major portion of Ameren’s massive Northern Missouri Grid Project
WHO is doing the project?
Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) is a subsidiary of Ameren, based in St. Louis. Its only purpose is to construct larger transmission projects, not to provide electricity directly to businesses or consumers.
WHAT is the project?
Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) has proposed to build nearly 250 miles of 345,000-volt (345kv) transmission line across 12 northern Missouri Counties. The overall project is proposed to consist three segments. As is customary with transmission lines, they named based on the substations that they will connect to. On July 16, 2025, the Missouri utlities regulator approved a major portion of the Project called Denny-Zachary-Thomas Hill-Maywood that will include the construction of over 200 miles of new 345 kV transmission lines with three transmission line segments. The first new line segment of the project will run approximately 100 miles from ATXI’s new Denny substation in DeKalb County to ATXI’s existing Zachary substation near Kirksville, Missouri. A second new line segment, approximately 60 miles, will connect the existing Zachary substation to ATXI’s existing Maywood substation near Palmyra, Missouri. A vast majority of the Zachary-Maywood line segment will be built along an existing corridor. The Project’s third line segment consists of 44 miles rebuilt on Ameren’s existing transmission corridor from the Zachary substation to AECI’s existing Thomas Hill substation in Randolph County.
HOW will this project affect me?
If your property is in the path of the Project, then ATXI will need to acquire the right to build the transmission line on your property. In order to do so, it will have to purchase an easement from you. If you cannot agree on the price or terms of the easement, ATXI will have the power to use eminent domain to force the easement on your property. Information on the eminent domain process, including your rights as a property owner can be found HERE on the Henry/Meuret website.
Transmission lines can have drastic impacts on the value of property. When electric companies run unsightly power lines over and through residences, farms and businesses, and place transmission towers on private property, they can destroy aesthetics and interfere with the use of the property by making it more difficult to farm or develop and sell land.
At Henry/Meuret, our attorneys understand the negative effects property lines and transmission towers have on our clients’ properties. Over the years, we have successfully helped many Missouri property owners enforce their rights under eminent domain laws and obtain just compensation from electric companies.
What Are My Rights?
Many residential and commercial property owners do not realize they have a right to compensation for the electric lines and towers placed on their properties. If even a portion of your property is used by electric companies for their utilities, you deserve just compensation.
Just compensation includes not only the value of the property lost to electric utilities, but also damage done to the remaining property.
At Henry/Meuret, we have gone up against some of the state’s largest electric companies and co-ops, such as the Ameren-UE, Evergy (Kansas City Power & Light), Grain Belt Express and many Missouri Rural Cooperatives. We will fight to get you the compensation you deserve.
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So, what happens next?
When a utility needs to cross over private property, it will typically seek an easement. An easement is the right to use property, while ownership of the property remains with the original owner. While the United States and Missouri constitutions allow for the use of eminent domain for utility easements, they stipulate that landowners must be paid “just compensation” for any damages to their property.
With this type of project, they also stipulate that landowners must be paid “just compensation” for their property.
The Henry/Meuret law firm has represented thousands of property owners in eminent domain cases in over 56 counties throughout Missouri for more than 35 years.
How does eminent domain work?
The legal process used to take utility easements is called “condemnation” and is controlled by Missouri statutes and court rules, including:
- A written notice to property owners advising them of the taking sent at least 60 days before court proceedings.
- A written offer to the property owner that includes an appraisal or explanation of the offer sent at least 30 days before court proceedings.
- If there is not settlement, a court case is filed in the county where the property is located.
- The court appoints three residents of the county so serve as “commissioners” who will view the property and hold a hearing so that both the agency and the property owners can present evidence of value.
- The commissioners will file a report with the court establishing the amount of payment.
- After the agency pays the amount of the award established by the commissioners, it has the right to take possession of the property being condemned, so work on the project can begin.
- In some cases, there may be a jury trial.
Henry said the primary disagreement in most condemnation cases is about money, but in some cases the more important issue is to get the agency to agree to changes in the project to minimize negative impacts. In cases where a property owner must leave the property, there are relocation issues and expenses that may be reimbursable.
Landowners who receive an notice of taking or an offer from an agency should not sign anything until they have a lawyer review the documents, because there is no way to undo the transaction after an agreement has been reached. In fact, property owners should not speak to a government representative or appraiser about their property before seeking legal advice. In condemnation, property owners receive a one-time payment for all of the impacts to a property that’s being taken or affected by a project. It is vitally important that an attorney with years of experience, knowledge and skills be consulted because there is no second chance after the acquisition is completed.
The attorneys at Henry/Meuret will initially consult with property owners for no charge. This will often include a visit to the property to assess the situation.
What are property owners owed?
Simply stated, a property owner is entitled to “just compensation” which means the fair market value of their property. However, the rules of valuation in the condemnation setting can be complicated. When a project only requires and easement or a portion of a property, there may be damages to the portion that remains. These are called consequential or severance damages. Depending on the circumstances, consequential damages may be significant. While a land value disagreement is usually straight-forward, consequential damages are typically more complicated and may not be as apparent to someone who does not have experience in condemnation cases.
Again, it is important that anyone who receives an eminent domain offer not sign anything until after consulting with a lawyer, because there is no way for an agreement to be undone. There is only one opportunity to be compensated for a taking and property owners should take time to carefully consider what they are owed.
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