Electricity bills are going up for many residents of Northeast Missouri.

State regulators have approved Ameren’s request to collect an additional 108 million dollars starting May 12th.

The number is significantly less than the 264 million dollars the utility had sought when it filed for the increase last July. Ameren has blamed the need for higher rates mostly upon fuel costs. It is not clear how much more residential customers will be paying per month.

The Missouri Public Service Commission approved the increase in a 4 to 1 vote. Ameren has almost 59 thousand residential customers in 14 Northeast Missouri counties, including almost 75 hundred in Pike County.