Champaign

In addition to our ongoing system and maintenance work, we’re investing additional resources throughout central and southern Illinois. Below is a list of just a few of the local infrastructure projects that have been completed or are in progress throughout Champaign to help improve reliability and ensure that your power is there when you need it:

Enhanced Reliability

• Upgrading our spacer cable system from St. John Street to Prairie Street at Cambridge Road and W. Kirby Avenue and along Randolph Street. These new, insulated cables are positioned in close, triangular configurations to prevent lines from colliding and interference from tree limbs.
• Building a new distribution line to support the new substation, which will create alternate pathways between other distribution substations in Champaign.
• Upgrading circuits and installing an additional backup feed for our underground cables in downtown Champaign, from the Walnut Street substation to the business district. This is phase one of a three-phase project to completely upgrade all the underground facilities that serve the downtown business district.
• Adding animal control fencing around our Mansfield substation on County Road 2150 North to safely reduce outages caused by wildlife.

Advanced Technology

• Adding a 12kV low-side transfer to our substation on Leverett Road to help to move electricity from one transformer to another during a power outage to reduce the time residents are without power.
• Installed a total of 50 IntelliRupters — automated switching devices — in Urbana and Champaign to reduce the number of customers affected by an outage and the length of outages.
• Added several new substation reclosers, called Vipers, in Champaign, Urbana, Rantoul and Savoy, to detect problems on the power lines, such as a lightning strike or a fallen tree limb, and reduce the number of customers affected by a power outage.

Overall, we’re looking ahead to what our customers’ energy needs will be in the future and preparing for those needs today. Ameren Illinois is doing more than just enhancing technology in Champaign. Learn how our employees are getting involved and making a difference in your community.