Smart grid expansion supports reliability in St. Charles
Newly installed smart switch adds rapid restoration benefits for 2,300 customers
Ameren Missouri has added new customer restoration technology in the city of St. Charles, installing a smart switch near the St. Charles Executive Office Building. The new device expands the local smart grid and supports reliability for approximately 2,300 customers, including hospitals and government services.
A smart switch is a device that restores power to customers by creating a detour for electricity. When a problem occurs, smart switches can isolate the area and open new pathways to power customers from another source. Customers can see up to a 40% improvement in reliability when Ameren Missouri installs smart switch technology and associated grid upgrades in their area.
Smart switches are part of Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, its approach to building a reliable and resilient energy grid.
“Smart switches support our goal of restoring customers as safely and quickly as possible,” said Terry Volz, superintendent of Ameren Missouri’s St. Charles Operating Center. “During major storms, this can mean thousands of additional customers can keep their lights on while our crews work safely to repair the damage.”
Local officials joined Ameren Missouri representatives to view the installation of the new smart switch and learn how the technology supports critical community services.
“Reliable power is so essential to our everyday lives,” said Scott J. Drachnik, president and CEO of the Economic Development Council of St. Charles County. “We appreciate Ameren Missouri’s continued investment in technology that helps strengthen our community.”
Ameren Missouri has installed more than 70 smart switches in the St. Charles area. In 2025, this equipment helped restore power to more than 3,000 customers in the area.
Across Ameren Missouri’s service territory, more than 2,150 smart switches are installed on poles and in substations. These devices have prevented more than half a million storm-related customer outages since 2021. To learn more about Ameren Missouri's efforts to ensure customers have access to a reliable and resilient energy grid, please visit AmerenMissouri.com/plan.