Smart Energy Plan supports reliability in Cape Girardeau

Upgrades to reduce outages and strengthen area's electric grid

Ameren Missouri is working to support increased reliability for more than 1,700 homes and businesses throughout Cape Girardeau. Through its latest Smart Energy Plan project in Cape Girardeau, Ameren Missouri aims to reduce outages and support future growth in an area that includes Southeast Missouri State University, Mercy Hospital Southeast and the city's commercial corridor along Kingshighway.

The area is currently served by two substations, each of which utilizes equipment more than 60 years old. The expected life of most substation components is 50 years, after which they can be more susceptible to failure or the need for more frequent, costly maintenance. This project will combine the load from both aging substations into a new, dual-unit substation at the company's Cape Girardeau Operating Center.

Crews perform line upgrades along Independence Street in Cape Girardeau. The new Independence substation is visible on the right of the picture.

“People in Cape Girardeau and throughout southeast Missouri expect reliable power, and that is what we are looking to deliver with this project,” said Russell Burger, director of Ameren Missouri’s Southeast Division. “This new substation will benefit major employers, schools, health care facilities and our friends and neighbors in this community.”

Building the new substation at the area's operating center allows for crews to work more efficiently on the equipment. The dual units also make it easier to shift load during severe weather conditions or to address other issues without the need for additional outages.

Additionally, the project includes upgrades designed to make the area's electric grid more resilient and reliable. Ameren Missouri is improving 4 miles of overhead lines, removing and replacing dozens of aging wooden power poles and adding two composite poles. Made from resin and fiberglass, composite poles are twice as strong as traditional wooden power poles. In addition, the project will deploy several types of smart switches along the overhead lines. These devices automatically detect outages and rapidly reroute power, improving reliability while reducing outages from hours down to minutes or even seconds. From January through July this year, smart switch devices helped prevent more than 36,000 customer outages in Missouri.

The project is expected to be completed and in service before the end of the year. The existing substations will be retired and removed once the new substation is online.