Ameren, state lawmakers announce infrastructure plan

Ameren Missouri and state leaders announced a five-year infrastructure plan that would transform the energy grid on Friday morning.

Ameren plans on starting more than 2,000 projects totaling $5.3 billion in the next five years, which is part of a plan known as the “Smart Energy Plan.” Some of the highlights of these projects include new smart grid sensors, switches and self healing equipment, which would rapidly detect outages. Ameren filed the plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission on Thursday. Ameren plans construct 12,000 new utility poles to better withstand severe weather. It will also have more than 400 miles of upgraded underground cables to create a more effecient underground energy delivery system. There will be more than 70 upgraded substations to create a network that is more cost effective for Ameren customers, and by 2023, the company hopes to install hundrends of thousands of smart electric meters to give customers more insight and control over internet usage and cost. Sign up for email news alerts by clicking here