ST. LOUIS, May 3, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2018 Corporate Social Responsibility Report for Ameren Corporation (NYSE: AEE) is now available at AmerenCSR.com. The voluntary report details Ameren's commitments to community betterment, environmental performance and financial strength.
"Safe, reliable, affordable and cleaner energy is critical to the well-being and security of our customers, communities and country," said Warner L. Baxter, Ameren's chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Our Corporate Social Responsibility Report describes the actions we are taking to improve the communities we serve and the environment."
Report highlights include:
- Cleaner generation: Ameren Missouri's forward-thinking plan to dramatically increase the amount of wind and solar generation to provide cost-effective and sustainable energy for customers.
- Cleaner air: Ameren's goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050. Since 2005, there have been significant decreases in emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions dropped by 22 percent, nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions dropped by 48 percent and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions were reduced by 65 percent.
- Economic Impact: Serving as an economic engine in Illinois and Missouri, Ameren made more than $2.1 billion of capital expenditures in 2017, supported a payroll of $972 million and paid $477 million in state and local taxes.
- Customer Value: Ameren Missouri's and Ameren Illinois' electric rates remain well below the Midwest and U.S. averages. For those requiring extra help, Ameren partners with community action agencies to administer bill assistance programs funded by company and customer contributions.
- Reliability: Ameren's electric distribution reliability performance continues to improve, as demonstrated by the System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI). This measure reflects how Ameren has reduced the total number of interruptions per customer served per year.
- Charitable giving: Throughout the two-state region, Ameren contributed close to $8.5 million in 2017 to nearly 1,100 nonprofit organizations who provide the community with services such as job readiness training, closing educational gaps and keeping seniors warm in the winter.
- Financial performance: Ameren shareholders have seen a total cumulative shareholder return of 42 percent over the three-year period from Dec. 31, 2014, through Dec. 31, 2017, performance that beat indices such as the S&P 500 Utilities and Philadelphia Utility Index.
Baxter continued: "For decades, Ameren has recognized the importance of being a strong corporate citizen. Our active engagement and investments in the communities we serve, including extensive volunteerism by our 8,600 co-workers, help us deliver superior value to our customers and shareholders, and to make a positive contribution to society."
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric distribution and transmission service, as well as natural gas distribution service, while Ameren Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with generating capacity of nearly 10,300 megawatts, and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric transmission projects. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.
Download - Ameren's two-page summary PDF
SOURCE Ameren Corporation
For further information: Media: Joe Muehlenkamp, 314.554.4135, jmuehlenkamp@ameren.com or Analysts: Doug Fischer, 314.554.4859, dfischer@ameren.com or Andrew Kirk, 314.554.3942, akirk@ameren.com or Investors: Investor Services, 800.255.2237, invest@ameren.com