History
Venice Plant began operation in 1942, making it the second oldest plant in the AmerenUE system. Between 1947 and 1957, Venice Plant was the largest plant in the AmerenUE system, with a generating capacity of 500 megawatts. Venice was not surpassed in generation by any other AmerenUE plant until 1969, generating electricity continuously for almost 35 years. The plant was fully converted from coal to oil by 1979, but by 1986 capacity had dropped to 180 megawatts. A $3 million reactivation project in 1995 more than doubled the facility's generating capacity.
The property runs for a mile along the Mississippi River. In the year 2000, a fire seriously damaged two of the plant’s units. In 2002, AmerenUE announced the permanent retirement of 343 megawatts of generating capacity at Venice Plant. This capacity was replaced by 340 megawatts of combustion turbine generator (CTG) capacity in 2005. And additional CTG, also brought online in 2005, brought total plant capacity to 530 megawatts—about equal to the steam plant’s capacity in its heyday.
Operation
Venice Plant operates as a "peaking" plant, producing power when needed to meet peak summer demand, or compensating for another plant that is down for repairs.
Fuel Type
Natural Gas.
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