Smart Energy Plan upgrades support reliability in Missouri's Bootheel
Projects represent a $10 million investment in southeast Missouri
Ameren Missouri is nearing the completion of two Smart Energy Plan upgrades aimed at improving reliability for customers in southeast Missouri. Crews in Dunklin County recently replaced an aging transformer with a new skid-style substation to help boost reliability in Gibson. This style of substation is more compact and easier to install, keeping customer costs low while still improving performance.
The new substation in Gibson is equipped with smart technology, which more rapidly detects and isolates outages and speeds power restoration.
Avail Switchgear Systems of Fulton, Missouri, manufactured the equipment, continuing Ameren Missouri’s efforts to support in-state businesses through the Smart Energy Plan. The new substation is expected to be in service by early December.
Thirty miles to the southeast, crews are finishing a series of upgrades aimed at hardening electric lines serving Hayti and Caruthersville in Pemiscot County. This project includes replacing 5 miles of wires and installing new, stronger poles to better withstand storms. This project connects to a new substation in Caruthersville that went into service earlier this year.
As part of this storm hardening project, crews are also removing overhead lines crossing Interstate 55 and Interstate 155, replacing them with underground cables. This improvement will dramatically increase public safety by eliminating the potential for live wires to fall across the roadway during storms.
“These Smart Energy Plan investments are crucial to supporting reliable energy delivery in southern Missouri,” says Russ Burger, southeast division director for Ameren Missouri. “Our Bootheel communities will benefit from upgrades such as stronger poles and smart technology, which reduce both the frequency and duration of storm-related outages.”
To learn more about Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, visit AmerenMissouri.com/SmartEnergyPlan.