Reliability & Infrastructure
Ameren continues to invest in new technology and infrastructure supporting a stronger grid and greater reliability for our customers. See how we're making upgrades across our service territories.
Stronger, Smarter, More Reliable
Ameren Illinois is hard at work putting energy to work for you.
With upgrades to the efficiency and reliability of the natural gas and electric energy system throughout our service territory, we have increased reliability by 23% and are preventing more than 6.5 million outages.
Our Smart Energy Plan
We are working diligently to create a more resilient, reliable and sustainable energy grid through our Smart Energy Plan. Created by forward-thinking legislation passed by the Missouri General Assembly, the Smart Energy Plan has spurred thousands of grid modernization projects.
Strengthening the Grid
Ameren is charting the future – continuing to invest in ways that will give customers safe, reliable and renewable energy for the long term.
Transmission
Ameren is strengthening the transmission system in Illinois and Missouri, improving reliability and fostering economic growth.
Generation
A balanced mix of generation supports reliability for our customers from day-to-day life to times of peak demand.
Smart Meters
Upgraded meters allow us to detect outages quickly while also offering customers more insight and control of their energy usage.
Smart Grid Technology
We're installing smart grid technology to enhance reliability and reduce outages, offering customers more choices for pricing options and energy efficiency tools. High-tech advances, such as automated switches and sensors, and smart meters, improve reliability, while voltage optimization equipment ensures efficient power delivery, reducing energy waste.
Storm Hardening
As part of our revitalization plan, we are installing composite poles, animal guarding and proactive undergrounding to better withstand the impacts of severe weather. These improvements enhance the resiliency and reliability of the grid, reduce outages, speed restoration times, and save customers money.
Creating Jobs
With our infrastructure improvement plan, we will create hundreds of good jobs – providing strong career opportunities for residents in Central and Southern Illinois. Every dollar we spend on delivery system construction generates nearly two dollars of new economic activity in the communities we serve.
Reliable Generation
In 2024, the company acquired three new solar facilities with a combined capacity of 500 MW. Together, these solar facilities are anticipated to generate enough energy to power 92,000 homes annually.
Smart Switches
Smart switches are designed to rapidly detect outages and reroute power. These devices have helped prevent hundreds of thousands of customer outages since 2021.Â
Storm Hardening
Adding stronger composite poles and super storm poles, a fortified type of composite pole, we can guard against the cascading effect where one broken pole drags others down with it. During major storms in 2024 there were no outages on overhead lines with storm-hardening upgrades.
Undergrounding
We are upgrading aging underground cable, much of which is at least 40 years old. Due to degradation from direct contact with the soil, we are upgrading the cable and adding protective conduit, which will help to prevent outages and continue to support the reliability of the energy delivery system.
Progress to Date
Every investment through the Smart Energy Plan – from new sources of energy generation to substations and stronger poles – makes the grid more resilient and reliable. As we move forward, each new upgrade builds on the ones before it. Ameren Missouri is ready to continue this critical work through the Smart Energy Plan, to power the quality of life for years to come.
