US utility provider Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, has acquired its first wind farm - a 400MW project in the northeast of the state.

The purchase of the High Prairie Renewable Energy Center in Adair and Schuyler counties is the first of two planned investments in Missouri-based wind generation.

These are expected to add 700MW of clean energy to the grid.

Ameren Missouri chairman and president Marty Lyons said: "This is just the beginning, as Ameren Missouri lays the foundations for a transformational advancement toward more renewable wind and solar generation in the coming years, cutting carbon emissions and driving job creation and economic growth.

"Expanding Missouri-based wind energy generation helps us move toward our goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050."

The High Prairie Renewable Energy Centre is the first of many renewable energy additions anticipated by Ameren Missouri.

The company recently released plans to invest approximately $4.5bn (€3.63bn) in 3100MW of renewable generation by 2030.

This includes $1.2bn for the planned acquisitions of this project and a 300MW site in Atchison County, Missouri.

Ameren Missouri chief renewable development officer Ajay Arora said: "All of our customers, no matter where they live, are benefitting from additional clean energy on the grid as a result of this acquisition.

"These turbines use some of the latest technology that harnesses more wind at an affordable price.

"It's also very gratifying to see this project built in our state, where families will receive a host of economic benefits for years to come."

The wind facility was constructed by an affiliate of Terra-Gen and comprises 175 wind turbines that are among the most technologically advanced in the state.

Ameren Missouri anticipates the facility will produce enough energy to power the equivalent of 120,000 homes in 2021.