Peru, Ill. (Aug. 4, 2025) – Ameren Transmission is hosting its first round of in-person public open houses this week in Bureau and LaSalle counties to gather input on the proposed Illinois Valley Reliability Project. This project is designed to support energy reliability and resiliency across the region.
The first open houses will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at Bureau County Metro Center, 837 Park Ave. West, in Princeton. The second set of sessions will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at Peru City Hall, 1901 4th St. in Peru.
The Illinois Valley Reliability Project includes construction of a new, approximately 23-mile, 138-kilovolt transmission line; upgrades to the existing Princeton substation; and construction of a new switching station, to be called Lima, near Peru. The proposed transmission line would connect the new Lima switching station to the upgraded Princeton substation.
Each open house will offer information about the project and an opportunity to provide feedback on potential route segments. Each session will include the same information, with no formal presentation. A self-paced virtual engagement and comment map will also be available online from August 4-15. More details can be found on the project website.
“We value the voices and concerns of individuals, families, and community members who live and work in the area—whether they are directly or indirectly impacted by this project,” said Keith Jones, project manager for the Illinois Valley Reliability Project. “Hearing directly from the community is essential. We encourage residents to attend, ask questions, and share their feedback. Their input will help guide our routing process.
The project is scheduled to be in service by late 2029. For more information, visit Ameren.com/IllinoisValley, email info@amerenillinoisvalley.com, or call the project hotline at 833.478.7733.
About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.5 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops, owns and operates rate-regulated regional electric transmission projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.