Ameren Missouri has started work on an approximately $400,000 project in Winfield, Mo. to replace about three miles of older gas pipelines with more reliable polyethylene (PE) pipe.
The new PE pipes will replace nearly 50-year-old polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipeline that lies east of Missouri Highway 79 in Winfield, both north and south of Highway N. Ameren Missouri began replacing Winfield's gas lines last year, spending about $400,000 to install more than two miles of PE pipes on the west side of Missouri Highway 79. The Winfield project will be completed this spring.
"The PVC pipes were fine back in the 1960s," said Mike Holman, Ameren Missouri’s director of gas operations. "They've provided reliable service. We're making sure it stays that way by proactively upgrading our system with the latest materials technology and construction techniques."
Ameren Missouri's new PE gas lines are more durable than the older pipe. The new pipes also incorporate a tracing wire that allows them to be more easily located from aboveground.
The Winfield project is part of a $25 million Ameren Missouri effort to replace all 150 miles of its PVC pipe with PE pipeline. Also slated to receive new PE pipes this year are Bellflower, Mary Knoll and Silex. The overall PVC pipe replacement project, which began in 2006, is expected to be complete by the end of 2015.
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Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities including the greater St. Louis area. For more information please visit AmerenMissouri.com or follow Ameren Missouri on Facebook or Twitter.