Ameren Missouri targets accelerated grid upgrades for rural customers thanks to $47M federal grant
Thanks to an awarded $47 million Smart Grid Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Ameren Missouri will pair with another $54 million of its own to deploy substation upgrades and community support for rural customers.
“Revitalizing rural energy infrastructure has been a key focus as equipment in those regions gets older, while demand simultaneously increases,” Mark Birk, chairman and president of Ameren Missouri, said. “This federal grant will help us accelerate the crucial grid resilience upgrades we’re already making across the state as part of the Smart Energy Plan. The funds will also serve as an economic catalyst that enables business and job development that helps our rural communities thrive and grow.”
These efforts seek to speed infrastructure upgrades being deployed under the company’s Rural Modernization program and improve energy resilience, add smart technology and simplify operations throughout Missouri. Service reliability and capacity expansions will be a big part of this, and as such, 16 aged substations are being targeted for improved grid controls and real-time monitoring.
Alongside substation upgrades, Ameren Missouri also intends to utilize advanced outage detection and restoration technologies more liberally. The effects will be felt in numerous counties, including: Cooper, Iron, Lincoln, Livingston, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Pike, Randolph, Scott, Stoddard and Washington.
