Ameren Missouri has started work on an approximately $165,000 project in Louisiana, Mo. to replace decades-old natural gas pipelines with more reliable polyethylene (PE) pipe.
Contract crews began installing new PE pipes in Louisiana earlier this week, replacing more than two-thirds of a mile of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipeline that has served the community's central section for about 50 years. The Louisiana natural gas project, expected to be complete by the end of November, wraps up the final phase of a $25 million project that included similar work this year in the Missouri communities of Bellflower, Louisiana, Maryknoll, Silex and Winfield.
"The new PE gas lines are more durable than the older pipelines, and include tracing wire that makes them easier to locate from aboveground, if necessary," said Mike Holman, Ameren Missouri’s director of gas operations. "We're proactively upgrading our system so that our customers continue to receive reliable service for years to come."
The Louisiana project is the final step in Ameren Missouri's decade-long effort to replace all 150 miles of its PVC pipe with PE pipeline. The overall PVC pipe replacement project began in 2006.
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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 130,000 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.