Key Takeaways:
BENTON, Ill. (July 10, 2026) – Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) and Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC) are hosting an in-person public open house next week in Franklin County to gather public input on the Lakeland Area Reliability Project. All members of the community are invited to attend, meet the project team, ask questions and share their feedback on the routing process:
The project includes the construction of an approximately 15-mile, 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Ameren Illinois’ existing Benton Northwest Substation to SIPC’s Franklin Junction Substation, located south of the Village of Hanaford. The Benton Northwest Substation will also be upgraded as part of the project.
The project will improve energy reliability for local communities and the surrounding region, improve resiliency to minimize power limitations and their impacts to local communities, and support long-term economic growth in the region.
The open house will offer the latest information about the project and an opportunity to provide feedback on the routing process. Sessions will include the same information, with no formal presentation. A self-paced virtual engagement presentation and interactive comment map are also available online.
“Community feedback helps our project team evaluate potential routes for the transmission line. Working with the community to identify opportunities and sensitivities in the study area is an important part of the routing process,” said Sam Gardner, project manager for Ameren. “Public comments are valuable and will help shape how this project moves forward.”
The project is scheduled to be in service and benefiting the community in December 2028. For more information, visit Ameren.com/LakelandArea, email LakelandAreaReliability@etc-online.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 67,700-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.
About Southern Illinois Power Cooperative
Southern Illinois Power Cooperative is a generation and transmission cooperative providing wholesale electric power to seven member distribution cooperatives and the city of McLeansboro in Illinois. SIPC owns coal fired and natural-gas fired generation plants which are located in Williamson and Washington Counties, Illinois. In addition SIPC has long-term power contracts for hydro in the TVA region, solar in White County, Illinois, and wind located in Paxton, Illinois. With cooperatives and customers located throughout the southern portion of Illinois, it owns and operates over 1,100 miles of high-voltage transmission and multiple substations.