Smart Energy Plan Upgrades Take Off in NE Missouri

Kevin Kuper has been putting customers first for 33 years by working to provide greater energy reliability to families and businesses throughout Ameren Missouri's service territory. Now a supervisor working in the Northeast Missouri (NEMO) division, Kuper sees firsthand the need to provide system upgrades in Wentzville to meet the city's skyrocketing growth.

Thanks to the Smart Energy Plan, Ameren Missouri is keeping up with Wentzville’s growth by increasing the capacity of its power lines.

"This plan is giving customers a lot of bang for their buck," said Kuper. "New power lines and stronger poles will better stand up to storms and will have a big impact on reducing outages in this growing community." The project also includes upgrades to substations to bolster reliability.

Construction began in March – just as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic escalated – for the Point Prairie Project, which will total roughly $1.7 million. As such, Kuper had to look for innovative ways to keep his crews and the community safe while keeping the project moving. "We put two aerial bucket trucks on each pole to maintain 6 feet of separation instead of having two guys in one bucket," explained Kuper. "Safety is a value at Ameren and sending these guys home safely to their families is a top priority."

This project is being built to support approximately 3,600 Wentzville customers. See how Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan is powering the quality of life in Wentzville to meet the area’s rising needs. You can view the project video here at the Vimeo link.