As part of the ongoing effort to maintain a high level of service reliability for customers and to modernize aging infrastructure, Ameren Missouri will install smart grid technology on multiple energy distribution projects in 2017.
Smart grid technology consists of equipment such as a "Viper" switches and "IntelliRupters" that can quickly identify and isolate a service issue, which results in faster energy restoration for customers while permanent repairs are being made.
"Our investments in a smarter grid are all about service reliability for our customers," said Kevin Anders, vice president of operations & technical services, Ameren Missouri. “We are committed to building a stronger grid to ensure this dependability, and this is why a large portion of the scheduled projects this year include smart grid technology in areas that have aging equipment or locations that have experienced reliability and outage issues that we want to improve.”
Projects scheduled to be completed in 2017 that will have smart grid technology include:
St. Louis City – Hampton Avenue, which includes the Saint Louis Zoo, and residential and business customers in the Dogtown area.
St. Louis County – Forder Road, which includes Oakville and Mehlville.
St. Louis County – Garden Avenue, which includes Webster Groves and Shrewsbury.
St. Louis County – High School Drive, Brentwood Forest Apartments.
Ameren Missouri is estimating that these four smart grid reliability projects will impact thousands of customers and cost approximately $650,000 to complete. The projects are part of $785 million in total investments Ameren Missouri will make in the state of Missouri in 2017 to serve its customers throughout the state.
Anders said IntelliRupters act to sense the condition of the electric system and determine appropriate actions to reduce the number of customers affected by an outage. They work in tandem with other outage detection devices to isolate the outage and reduce the length of the disruption. These smart switches enable Ameren Missouri to re-route power from another circuit.
For more information on Ameren Missouri reliability projects visit AmerenMissouri.com/reliability.
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 AmerenMissouri on Facebook or Twitter.