The Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project is the first proposed project in a larger portfolio of energy projects called the South Central Illinois Transmission Expansion (SCITE) Program. The SCITE Program is being jointly developed by Ameren Transmission and other regional member cooperatives and will provide significant reliability benefits for regional energy grids and customers across the southern portion of Illinois.
The Project includes two phases. Phase 1 includes construction of an approximately 5-mile 138 kV transmission line from AICs existing Mt. Vernon 42nd Street substation to the proposed Reifen substation located east of Mt. Vernon in Jefferson County. Our goal is to have these facilities in service in December 2025.
Phase 2 includes the construction of a 138 kV transmission line approximately 30 miles from the proposed Reifen substation to another proposed substation, named Kays, located near Fairfield in Wayne County. Our goal is to have these facilities in service in December 2026.
You will be able to view the interactive map and add a comment to provide our team with information about your area.
The project schedule below will be updated as major milestones are met. All items listed are pending regulatory approvals. Schedule is subject to change.
The Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project will benefit the local area by:
Ameren is developing the Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project in a collaborative manner with landowners, community officials and agencies to develop a constructible route that minimizes impacts. To that end, we have designed a public engagement program to be responsive and considerate of public feedback.
We plan to hold two rounds of public open houses, one round in April and the second in June 2023, to introduce the study area and its many benefits to the affected communities. During these meetings, subject matter experts from different departments of Ameren (such as engineering, real estate, siting, environmental, safety and construction) will be available to answer questions about the project and collect public feedback.
This feedback will be carefully considered by our siting team as they work to design a constructible route for the line. The first round of open houses will present a series of potential route segments under consideration. The second round of open houses will present a range of route alternatives. Input collected during the second open house will be factored into the selection of the preferred route as well as the alternate route (if needed).
We have a designated project hotline and email address that the public can use to get in touch with members of our project team. Have a question? Please contact us using one of the methods below.