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Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project

Improving energy reliability in your community

Ameren Illinois Company (AIC) and Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) are proposing the Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project to improve energy reliability for local customers in portions of Jefferson, Wayne, Hamilton and White counties.

Project Overview

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.

Download the Fact Sheet (PDF)

Tentative Project Schedule

The project schedule below will be updated as major milestones are met. All items listed are pending regulatory approvals. Schedule is subject to change.

  • Gather public and agency input through Community Representative Forums and Public Open Houses
  • Route siting studies
  • Final route(s) identified
  • Engineering and permitting
  • File route(s) with Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC)
  • Certificate of Public Convenience & Necessity (CPCN) Decision
  • Environmental surveys and permitting
  • Easement acquisition process
  • Preconstruction activities
  • Construction
  • Project in service: December 2025 (Phase 1: Mt. Vernon to Reifen) and December 2026 (Phase 2: Reifen to Kays)

Project Benefits

The Mt. Vernon Area Reliability Project will benefit the local area by:

  • Providing reliable energy for the Jefferson, Wayne, Hamilton and White county areas
  • Improving resiliency to minimize power limitations and impacts to local communities
  • Reinforcing local distribution electric service for homes, businesses, and agricultural customers
  • Supporting continued area economic growth

 

 

Public and Stakeholder Involvement

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.

Community Forums

Ameren hosted a series of Community Representative Forums in late February and early March to gather input from local community representatives, governing agencies, civic organizations and other community leaders. Information collected during these forums, as well as future public open houses, will be taken into consideration by the project siting team as they work to evaluate potential route segments for the new transmission line. Other factors reviewed by the siting team include land use, cultural resources, safety, reliability, cost, natural resources, constructability and more.

Open Houses

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).


Contact Us

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.

Phone

833.478.7733

Mail

2610 Broadway Street
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864

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