Supporting reliability in St. Louis County through the Smart Energy Plan

$10 million investment to affect more than 10,000 customers

Through its Smart Energy Plan, Ameren Missouri is upgrading equipment along four miles of overhead power lines in southwest St. Louis County to improve reliability for customers in the area. This stretch of power lines, which includes a section along Grant's Trail, has experienced more than 20 service disruptions in the past five years. To address the outages and improve reliability in the area, Ameren Missouri is investing $10 million in the community to improve the area's electrical grid.

Stronger composite poles, which can withstand winds up to 70 mph, have been placed strategically throughout the project

In addition to upgrading the circuit's aging equipment, crews are storm-hardening the lines by replacing aging wooden power poles. Similar improvements are also being made to sections of overhead lines along Watson Road at Grant's Trail. "We're constantly exploring innovative ways to improve reliability during severe weather," said Dusty Riley, director of Ameren Missouri's Mackenzie Operating Center. "Storm related outages have been significantly reduced on sections of power lines with storm-hardening improvements."

Overall, these Smart Energy Plan upgrades will improve reliability for more than 10,000 customers in the Affton and Crestwood communities. The project is expected to be completed before the end of summer.

The Smart Energy Plan was enabled by the Missouri Legislature's passage of Senate Bill 564 in 2018 and approved for extension and expansion by the General Assembly in 2022. Through the Smart Energy Plan, Ameren Missouri is working to upgrade and modernize the electrical grid, while also improving reliability throughout its service territory. To learn more about the Smart Energy Plan, please visit AmerenMissouri.com/plan.