Ameren Illinois reveals electric grid upgrade project in Jersey, Macoupin counties

Ameren Illinois announced Wednesday a two-year electric grid upgrade project to enhance service reliability for its customers in Jersey and Macoupin counties.

As part of the project, the company will strengthen power lines and poles to improve storm resistance and will make improvements at substations in Jerseyville, Piasa, and Brighton. Ameren Illinois will invest a total of $18 million in the project.

“The upgrades are part of our overall statewide plan to build a cleaner, greener, more resilient grid,” Richard Mark, chairman and president of Ameren Illinois, said. “With these enhancements, Ameren Illinois is taking proactive steps to prepare for the future needs of our electric customers. We’re excited to bring these enhancements to our customers in Jersey and Macoupin counties.”

In Phase 1 of the project, which is scheduled to begin this month, workers will upgrade 13.5 miles of power lines and more than 300 power poles from Jerseyville to Brighton. They will also install a new, three-mile circuit that will connect the Piasa Junction and Brighton substations, which will allow power to be rerouted if an outage occurs. The company will invest an estimated $10.5 million in Phase 1.

Phase 2 of the project is scheduled to begin in 2021. It will involve upgrades to the Jerseyville, Piasa Junction, and Brighton substations, including adding new equipment to meet future electric load increases and reroute power in the event of an outage. The company will invest an estimated $7.9 million in Phase 2.

Ameren Illinois noted that the project is part of its multi-year initiative to modernize its energy delivery system. The company said that it has completed hundreds of projects since 2012, which have helped to improve reliability by an average of 17 percent and reduce average outage time by 19 percent.