New substation energized in Cape Girardeau County

Smart Energy Plan project designed to reduce outages and support future growth in the community

Ameren Missouri recently energized a new substation designed to support improved reliability for more than 3,400 customers in Cape Girardeau County. The project replaces the aging Glenwood substation with new equipment built to better serve the community’s power needs, while also protecting customers from disruptions. The upgraded facility can also support about twice the power capacity of the existing substation, meaning it can handle more demand and give crews more flexibility to redirect power when problems occur.

The equipment serving the old substation was more than 50 years old, and its location was prone to flooding from a nearby creek. The new substation was built across the road from the previous one, lowering the risk of flood damage and reducing the chance of service interruptions caused by high water. 

The new substation is located near the Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course and serves approximately 3,400 customers in the area, including those on the eastern edge of Jackson

“Our older substations can be more vulnerable to interruptions caused by a number of environmental factors,” said Matt Haffer, manager of Substation Construction for Ameren Missouri. “This upgrade gives us newer, better-protected equipment that will help reduce those risks and improve reliability for customers.”

The new substation includes smart technology designed to rapidly detect outages and automatically reroute power, helping restore service as quickly and as safely as possible. Related line upgrades, including the use of composite poles, are also expected to strengthen the system during severe weather.

“Reliable power is crucial for our region, whether supporting families' daily energy needs, protecting against storms or providing the modern service needed to attract new businesses,” said Russ Burger, director of Ameren Missouri’s Southeast Missouri Division. “The completion of this project marks a huge step forward, and it reflects the kind of customer-focused investment in reliability we’re making through our Smart Energy Plan.”

The new Glenwood substation is one of several projects recently completed or underway in Southeast Missouri as part of Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan. The company has upgraded more than 140 substations across the state through the plan, which focuses on modernizing the energy grid and improving reliability for customers.

To learn more about Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan, please visit AmerenMissouri.com/plan.