Ameren Illinois

Renewable Energy Projects Abound in 2022

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By KERRY SMITH, EDITOR, ST. LOUIS CONSTRUCTION NEWS AND REVIEW MAGAZINE

Missouri’s renewable energy capacity is growing.

Developer Invenergy – which had planned to build its Grain Belt Express transmission line with 4,000 megawatts of capacity and deliver some 10 percent of that to Missouri – said this week it will now construct a 5,000-megawatt line that will distribute half of its power to the Show-Me state, as part of the Chicago-based firm’s expansion throughout Missouri, Illinois and the Midwest.

The company’s plans include a multi-state, phased approach that will begin line construction in Kansas and Missouri first. Invenergy is still acquiring easements on parcels in both states and will employ eminent domain when necessary.

In Illinois, construction continues on the $10.2 million solar energy facility in East St. Louis. Ameren Illinois broke ground on the city’s first-ever clean energy facility in early March. It’s also the first power generation facility owned and operated by Ameren Illinois in the past 25 years. The project is commencing on a 17-acre site on State Street across from the East St. Louis Sr. High School. Guarantee Electrical Company, Azimuth Energy, Terra 5 Construction and Mason Landscaping are among the project partners.

Across the Southwest, renewable energy projects are also robust. Texas’ lead as a clean energy hub is underscored with a record amount of planned solar capacity under development, driven in large part by corporate buyers who need vast amounts of clean energy to power their daytime operations while meeting net-zero targets.

American Council on Renewable Energy President and CEO Gregory Wetstone confirms the Southwest’s standing as a renewable energy leader. He says the emergence of co-located solar-plus-storage projects in Texas and elsewhere further increases the value of solar power generation.

“There are certainly supply chain challenges to overcome, but solar is poised for tremendous growth in the coming years,” he says. “The U.S. offshore wind sector is also growing rapidly, and the potential for offshore wind development in the Gulf of Mexico could be a game-changer for states like Texas and Louisiana.”

Cost reductions in the solar industry, paired with increased performance and efficiency, are spurring the already strong solar market forward, industry analysts agree, with solar energy representing the biggest chunk of the clean energy market nationwide.

Additional renewable energy sources that Texas, Louisiana and other states will more fully embrace in the next 12-24 months include green hydrogen, biofuels and carbon capture and storage.

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IMPACT Strategies Creates State of the Art Facility for Ameren Illinois

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IMPACT Strategies teamed with Ameren Illinois to renovate the energy delivery company’s 60-year-old East St. Louis regional operations facility. A grand re-opening of this facility was celebrated at a local ceremony in January.

IMPACT Strategies started work less than a year ago in May 2017 and completed their tight schedule on time in December 2017. First, they gutted the office building and truck shelters, stripping them down to their basic skeleton. From there, IMPACT Strategies installed completely new electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and fire protection systems, plus interior finishes and a new exterior facade. Features of the revitalized facility include energy efficient LED lighting throughout the building, numerous conference rooms, and focus rooms equipped with updated technology, a new wellness room, locker rooms, and a large training room. The storage yard was also entirely rebuilt and parking lots were refinished and extended for increased employee parking.

For Ameren Illinois, this project was about more than just upgrading a facility. It demonstrated the company’s commitment to solidifying East St. Louis as a key hub for its Metro East operations while providing its local employees with a more efficient, state-of-the-art work space.

IMPACT Strategies, Inc. specializes in Retail, Commercial, Medical, Senior Housing and Education construction and offers comprehensive construction services including design-build, general contracting, construction management and pre-construction management. Media Contact: Stephanie Sullivan, IMPACT Strategies, Inc. (618)394-8400 or ssullivan@BuildwithIMPACT.com

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Ameren Illinois Unveils Renovated Operating Center in East St. Louis

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Upgraded facility houses 50 workers serving 30,000-plus customers in Metro East

Ameren Illinois unveiled its newly renovated 29,000-square-foot East St. Louis Operating Center on Friday, demonstrating the company’s commitment to strengthening its operations in the Metro East.

Ameren Illinois Chairman and President Richard J. Mark was joined by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, East St. Louis Mayor Emeka Jackson-Hicks and state and local leaders Friday in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially re-open the upgraded operating center. Sitting on 5.3 acres at 500 E. Broadway in East St. Louis, the facility houses 50 employees and serves as the operational hub for energy delivery services provided to 30,000-plus customers across more than 10 Metro East communities. Workers ranging from linemen and engineers to gas emergency response personnel are based at the facility.

“This reinvestment transformed a 60-year-old building into a state-of-the-art operating center, offering a comfortable and modern work space for employees, and enhanced equipment staging and storage capabilities,” Mark said. “We’ve maintained a strong presence in the East St. Louis community for many years, and we’re excited to continue our efforts to build the next generation energy delivery system for local residential and business customers.”

Ameren Illinois invested $10.6 million in the renovation project, resulting in many new and enhanced features, including:

  • Parking for more than 25 Ameren Illinois service trucks under an upgraded truck shelter.

The on-site fleet includes 13 line, eight substation, four metering and two gas emergency vehicles.

  • An enhanced indoor garage for fleet repairs and tire storage.
  • New conference rooms and meeting space for employees.
  • Energy efficient LED lighting throughout the facility.
  • 57 parking spaces for employees.
  • A new wellness room and new locker rooms.
  • New electrical, mechanical and plumbing systems.
  • Storm water improvements and a more advanced fire protection system.

Construction was performed by IMPACT Strategies and took approximately eight months to complete, creating 50 construction jobs. Nearly 35 percent of the construction work was performed by minority- or female-owned contractors.

“As an East St. Louis native, I’m glad to see Ameren Illinois continue to invest in this community and its workers,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. “The construction jobs created by the renovation and the key upgrades for the 50 current employees at the facility are part of a continued effort to tap into the Metro East workforce and improve the local economy. Congratulations to Ameren Illinois and Mayor Jackson-Hicks on today’s ribbon-cutting.”

“This is an important day for East St. Louis,” said Mayor Jackson-Hicks. “Ameren Illinois is a strong community partner and this beautiful facility truly reaffirms the company’s commitment to our City and its residents.”

The new operating center is only one example of recent Ameren Illinois projects in the East St. Louis area. Since 2015, the company has invested more than $30 million across numerous projects, including: a remediation initiative to remove 22,000 tons of impacted soil from an old manufactured gas plant on Lynch Avenue, construction of the Katherine Dunham Substation to increase reliability for 3,000-plus local customers, upgrades to the Ridge Substation and the Edgemont Substation, as well as two miles of new power lines and 70 new poles to fortify the local grid.

Looking ahead, Ameren Illinois will begin adding smart meters to local homes and businesses in February.

“We’re excited about the recent upgrades in East St. Louis and look forward to partnering with the City well into the future,” Mark added.

The operating center serves customers in the following communities: East St. Louis, Cahokia, Sauget, Washington Park, Alorton, Centerville, Fairmont City, State Park, Mitchell, Fairview Heights and small parts of Belleville and Dutch Hollow.

Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles and our mission is to power the quality of life. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com.  Follow us on Twitter @AmerenIllinois and Facebook.

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Ameren Illinois to Invest $9 Million in Modernizing East St. Louis Facility

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Ameren Illinois recently announced the $9 million renovation of its East St. Louis operating center at 500 E. Broadway.  They updated operating center will enhance their ability to serve their customers in and around East St. Louis and provide an enhanced employee experience.

In 2016, Ameren Illinois completed a new neighborhood substation (Katherine Dunham substation) at the intersection of Cleveland and 27th Street as well as set 70 new power poles to strengthen the grid in the City.

In 2015, the company installed a new transformer inside its Ridge substation; and at its Edgemont substation upgraded the capacity of two transformers. The capacity we added to our substations helps ensure that we can meet the evolving demands of our business and residential customers in the future.

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Ameren Illinois Announces Projects to Build Smarter Energy Infrastructure in Belleville

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New substation, outage detection technology among enhancements to improve service reliability and reduce customer costs.


Ameren Illinois announced today that it has begun constructing a new state-of-the-art substation and installing smart technology to support commercial and residential growth in Belleville’s west end.

The substation – to be known as North Shrine – is being built near Lamask Drive and Briar Hill Road on the north side of Illinois Route 15, across the highway from the National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows.   When in service, by the end  of Spring, the North Shrine substation will meet the energy needs of the new Hofbräuhaus Brewery, currently under construction, and a hotel and conference center planned for the site.  It will contain advanced equipment capable of better serving electric load increases expected from these new commercial developments while boosting reliability for more than 2,000 residential and commercial customers in the area. The substation footprint will be large enough to add an additional transformer if needed.

Five outage detection devices, known as IntelliRupters, will be installed onto circuits that feed out of and tie to the new substation.  These smart devices sense faults in the flow of electricity and identify circuits from which power can be re-routed to reduce the number of customers affected by an outage.

“These projects are a key step in our long-range plans to construct a smarter electric grid to meet our customers growing needs,” said Raymond Riddle, director of Division Operations for Ameren Illinois serving St. Clair County. “We’re excited to bring these innovative enhancements to our customers in the region.”

The work is part of a multi-year initiative to modernize the energy delivery system. Since 2012, Ameren Illinois has implemented hundreds of projects, adding new technology and strengthening poles, wires and distribution equipment.  As a result, reliability has improved by an average of 17 percent.

Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois.

Photo Above: A J.F. Electric lineman, working on behalf of Ameren Illinois, works to position a new IntelliRupter into place on a power pole in Signal Hill.  As part of its Modernization Action Plan, Ameren Illinois is building a smarter energy infrastructure in Belleville.  The IntelliRupter will team with two other smart switches in the neighborhood. These smart devices sense faults in the flow of electricity and identify circuits from which power can be re-routed to reduce the number of customers affected by an outage.

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