FAQs

New substations such as the new Pershall unit offer greater service reliability and meet growing energy needs – long into the future. With fewer repairs and maintenance, these new substations save you money.

The Pershall Project will bring more reliable energy to families and businesses in the Florissant, Hazelwood and Berkeley communities. Part of the Smart Energy Plan, this project will build a new, state-of-the-art substation – which is the engine that keeps energy flowing in your community – and upgrade to stronger utility poles to withstand powerful Missouri storms. This project requires a few short, planned power outages so that our crews can install new equipment and make these upgrades. You’ll hear from us before any planned outage and we will keep you informed every step of the way.

To install the Smart Energy Plan upgrades that provide better service, we started by trimming trees in your community. This work began in the fall of 2020. Construction begins in January 2021 and we plan to be complete by late 2022.

This project will bring more reliable energy to families and businesses in Florissant, Hazelwood and Berkeley. Explore our interactive map to see if your home or business is included in the project.

We are investing in North St. Louis County, installing new, state-of-the-art equipment to ensure you have the reliable energy you need. We know you have experienced outages before. It's why we are focused on improving your reliability.

In addition, once this project is complete, you will see fewer outages and faster power restoration in the future.

For safety, please keep your pets inside when crews are working in the area. We want to make sure your pets and our crews stay safe.

Please also leave any gates unlocked so crews have easy access to wires and poles on or near your property.

While we do this work, you may see large equipment, crews along the road, temporary lane closures, and noise and dust.

Most work will happen during the day.

If we work on your property, we will ensure we leave it in the same condition as when we started the project. We’ll let you know when all upgrades are complete.

Construction will begin in January 2021. This work will include:

• Installing new storm-resistant poles and smart technology.
• Replacing some of our equipment near your home or business.
• Switching homes and businesses over to a new substation, which is the engine that keeps energy flowing in the community.

Yes. You will always have safe access to your home or business. There may be times when crews need to temporarily close your driveway access for safety, but if this happens, we will work with you ahead of time. Please let our team know if you have any questions or concerns – we’re here to listen.

There may be times when crews need to temporarily close an intersection for safety, but if this happens, we will post detours to direct traffic.

Some lines will be placed underground to prevent storm damage, while others will be upgraded with stronger, utility poles to withstand powerful Missouri storms.

We understand that any power outage is an inconvenience, so we will communicate with you in advance so that your family or business has time to make arrangements during any planned outage. Please call us at 1.314.380.3087 if you have questions.

We anticipate each planned outage may last up to four hours.

An Ameren contractor will notify you in person with a knock on your door 24-48 hours in advance of any planned power outage during this project. If you are not home when the crew member stops by, we will leave a door hanger on your door with the information you need to plan, including a number to call if you have questions.

We will also give you a call or text alert before a planned power outage if you'd like – just sign up for alerts through your Ameren Missouri account. Don’t have an online account? Create one today. It’s fast, simple and free.

Most work will happen during the day.

We are working on these upgrades during the spring and fall months to avoid planned power outages during cold Midwest winters and hot Missouri summers.

An Ameren contractor will notify you in person – from a safe social distance – with a knock on your door 24-48 hours in advance of any planned power outage during this project. If you are not home when the crew member stops by, we will leave a door hanger on your door with the information you need to plan, including a number to call if you have questions.

This project requires a few planned power outages so that our crews can install new equipment and make upgrades. We anticipate each planned outage may last up to four hours.

Crews are out in the community evaluating if trees or plants need to be cleared from wires and poles to be able to start construction. Trees will be trimmed and plants will be cleared in our right-of-way to give our crews safe and better access to install new equipment, such as stronger poles and smart technology that bolsters the reliability of your service.

We plan to complete all tree trimming in the project area by February 2021.

Unfortunately, we are not able to share a tree trimming schedule, as this schedule varies greatly depending on weather, crew availability and other factors. An Ameren contractor will notify you in person with a knock on your door 24-48 hours before any work begins. If you are not home when the crew member stops by, we will leave a door hanger on your door with the information you need.

Trees will be trimmed in our right-of-way to give our crews better access to install new equipment. To safely do this work, crews will need 10 feet on either side of a wire (horizontally) and 15 feet vertically in either direction.