Smart Energy Plan

October 28, 2025

Grid Upgrades Support Reliability in Spanish Lake

Multi-faceted approach includes storm-hardening upgrades, smart technology and other improvements.

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Distribution lines are the last leg of the energy journey from a generation source to your home. These lines are found across Ameren Missouri’s territory, everywhere from farm fields to suburban backyards to city alleys. Due to their local nature, upgrading distribution lines can have a direct impact on reliability.

In Spanish Lake, Ameren Missouri is deploying its Smart Energy Plan to storm-harden more than two miles of distribution line to support increased reliability for 1,400 customers, including critical facilities such as Christian Hospital.

Smart Energy Plan upgrades installed in 2025 include the strategic placement of composite poles. These hardened fiberglass poles are stronger than wood poles and act as an anchor to prevent cascading damage, which speeds restoration times. The installation of smart switch technology provides rapid outage detection and automatic restoration, reducing both the size and duration of outages.

The project also includes removing overhead wires that cross Highway 367, burying them underground instead.
“Moving highway crossings underground greatly reduces the risk of weather-related issues and eliminates the potential for traffic hazards,” says Orlando Rodgers, superintendent of Berkeley Operations, which covers most of north St. Louis County. “In this case we’re moving not one, but three lines that share this crossing. That’s going to make a big difference for safety and reliability throughout Spanish Lake.”

Construction of the upgraded distribution line is expected to be complete by the end of 2025. The other lines sharing that highway crossing are expected to be further storm-hardened in the coming years, bringing additional reliability benefits to thousands of customers. And these aren’t the only projects supporting this area.

Thanks to the Smart Energy Plan, crews also replaced aging substation equipment in 2023 and upgraded more than a mile of overhead distribution wire along Riverview Drive in 2025. The substation and wires will serve as critical redundancy for the new St. Louis Zoo Wildcare Park under development in Spanish Lake.

“Ameren Missouri has taken a strategic, intentional approach to supporting this community and the infrastructure they need for power and energy,” says St. Louis County councilwoman Sholanda Webb, who represents the area. “And that is so vital to economic development in our community. As we try to grow and transform here in North County, we need reliable power.”

To learn more about the Smart Energy Plan, visit Ameren.com/Reliability.