Ameren Missouri proposes $9.9B investment plan targeting reliability, modernization

Under an updated Smart Energy Plan filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission last week, Ameren Missouri called for $9.9 billion of investment into items such as smart technology, stronger poles, power line upgrades, and other infrastructure to improve grid reliability.

Already, similar efforts have borne fruit, according to the company. Citing last year’s data, Ameren Missouri claimed that more than 108,000 hours of customer outages were avoided due to such investments.

“We continue to incorporate technology that improves system reliability. Smart Energy Plan investments have prevented an estimated 50,000 customer outages over the last two years. We know that makes a difference for our customers at home and at work,” Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri, said. “With the expansion and extension of the Smart Energy Plan, we will be able to provide a more resilient, reliable, and sustainable energy system for generations to come.”

If approved, upcoming upgrades would include the deployment of 1,178 smart switches, 75 new or updated substations, 170 miles of improved power lines, and 772,000 smart meters capable of two-way communication. All of this, the company stated, would help to prepare the grid for new energy sources and roll out incentives for new businesses.

Ameren Missouri is reportedly running a year ahead of schedule on its smart electric meter deployment. This has allowed it to offer customers an interactive dashboard with more specific estimates of their energy usage, savings recommendations, and the capability to identify outages faster than traditional methods.