Smart Energy Plan Economic Development

March 23, 2026

Lewistown Electric Grid Gets Reliability Upgrades

Upgrades include new smart switches and stronger poles.

Ameren Missouri customers in Lewistown are getting an upgrade designed to support increased reliability. Much of the town’s infrastructure is more than 60 years old, and its wood-frame substation is one of the oldest on Ameren Missouri’s system. Some components date back as far as 1942.

This aging equipment posed a safety and reliability risk, requiring major upgrades to support reliable service in Lewistown. To address this need, Ameren Missouri is deploying a suite of Smart Energy Plan upgrades to modernize Lewistown’s entire electric grid and bolster reliability in the area.

These upgrades are designed to strengthen the local system and reduce the frequency and duration of outages. Some of the improvements include:

Upgrade aging equipment: This project will eliminate an aging substation and equipment that is more than 80 years old. Poles and wires, many of which are more than 60 years old, will also be rebuilt with new, stronger materials.

Dual-transformer design: The new, dual-transformer design creates two sources of power and the ability to switch between them to quickly restore power to the community.

Smart power restoration: Smart switch devices can rapidly detect a problem on the grid and automatically restore power to more customers by switching to another power source. These devices were added to both the subtransmission and distribution lines in Lewistown.

Storm-hardened materials: Composite poles, which are stronger and more flexible than wood poles, have been added in Lewistown to increase storm resilience.

Modern service: The entire town will be upgraded from 4-kilovolt (kV) service to 12 kV, providing more capacity and operational flexibility when switching between power sources.

“This is a truly transformational infrastructure project for this area, and it really highlights how our customers benefit from Smart Energy Plan upgrades,” said Ken Worland, division director for Ameren’s Northeast Missouri division. “These improvements mean the community will have fewer interruptions, quicker restorations, and a system built for long-term reliability.”

These upgrades will support greater reliability for nearly 400 customers in the Lewistown area. The new infrastructure will be placed in service by the summer of 2026.

To learn more about Smart Energy Plan projects in your area, visit Ameren.com/Reliability.