Missouri State Energy Plan Development Project Launched

MO DNR Environmental Newsroom

Published March 6th, 2026

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has initiated a six-month project to develop a new State Energy Plan. This initiative will involve economic and power sector modeling, demand forecasting, and policy recommendations to address the state's changing energy landscape and increasing reliance on imported electricity.

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What changed

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has launched a six-month project to create the state's next Comprehensive State Energy Plan. This initiative, undertaken with contractor Guidehouse, will focus on economic and power sector modeling, demand forecasting, and policy recommendations. Key issues to be addressed include Missouri's shift from being a net electricity exporter to relying on imports for over 15% of its needs, and managing increased energy demand from data centers and manufacturing.

The new plan aims to go beyond previous iterations by forecasting future demand and modeling various scenarios to evaluate the costs and benefits of meeting the state's energy needs, including investments in specific technologies and correcting the reliance on imported electricity. The last comprehensive plan was published in 2015, and this project signifies a significant update to address the evolving energy landscape over the past decade.

What to do next

Monitor the development and publication of the new State Energy Plan.
Review policy recommendations for potential impacts on energy procurement and infrastructure.

Source document (simplified)

Friday, March 6, 2026

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, MARCH 6, 2026 – This week, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources embarked on an intensive six-month project to develop Missouri’s next State Energy Plan.

Guidehouse, the contractor for the new plan, will work with the department’s State Energy Program to conduct economic and power sector modeling, and demand forecasting. The team will also develop policy recommendations.

“Missouri’s energy landscape has changed dramatically over the past 10 years, and state policymakers sit at a crossroads as to how they can shape Missouri’s energy resources to benefit Missourians for decades to come,” said Kurt Schaefer, director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Missouri’s current electricity generation portfolio is a diverse mix of fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable energy sources, with a recent significant shift to natural gas. The new plan will address Missouri’s drift away from net electricity exporting to becoming increasingly reliant on imported electricity. In 2025, Missouri relied on generation from other states for over 15 percent of its electricity needs.

Furthermore, massive growth in energy demand driven by data centers and manufacturing onshoring poses a new challenge, but a potentially unmissable opportunity for local Missouri economies.

“The ambitious new plan will go above and beyond previous plans,” said Schaefer. “It will forecast future demand and model multiple tailor-made scenarios for the state to evaluate the costs and benefits of meeting Missouri’s energy needs. This includes investments in specific energy technologies and correcting Missouri’s reliance on electricity imports.”

The department’s State Energy Program has conducted various forms of statewide energy planning and analysis since the 1990s to recommend plans for Missouri’s energy future to policymakers. The last Comprehensive State Energy Plan was published in 2015.

Learn more about MoDNR’s vision of the energy future at Division of Energy | Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Members of MoDNR and Guidehouse met in Jefferson City this week to kick off development of the new Comprehensive State Energy Plan.