Ameren Illinois prepared for severe winters with 24.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas reserves

In anticipation of frostier weather in the new year’s early months, Ameren Illinois announced last week that it currently possesses 12 underground fields capable of storing 24.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas to heat homes.

This, the company notes, will further allow it to purchase natural gas at lower prices during the spring and summer months and then withdraw it during icy winter months for delivery, providing low natural gas bills overall. The supply is enough to provide for Ameren’s 43,700 square mile service territory on high demand days, as well as to balance day to day variations in demand.

“Our natural gas storage capabilities allow us to keep prices stable during the wintertime, and in the event of frigid weather, they provide price stability when demand will be higher to keep everyone warm inside their homes,” Eric Kozak, vice president of natural gas operations at Ameren Illinois, said. “The volume of natural gas each storage field contains at peak varies. Our storage field in Freeburg, for example, holds 1.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas or enough to fill (St. Louis Cardinals) Busch Stadium 80 times.”

While storage is one boon to the company, it has also worked hard to upgrade reliability in recent years, replacing more than 200 miles of mechanically coupled steel pipeline, 100 miles of vintage steel pipes, and more than 70 natural gas regulator stations as part of its natural gas modernization program. New monitoring and pressurization adjustment technology were added to the system as well.

Presently, the National Weather Services predicts normal to above-normal temperatures for the rest of January and into February, but forecasts can change quickly.

Ameren’s underground fields are dispersed between Ashmore, Centralia, Eden, Freeburg, Galesburg, Glasford, Hookdale, Hillsboro, Johnston City, Lincoln Sciota, and Tilden, Ill.