Ameren Missouri upgrades TDL substation

Ameren Missouri will soon complete a multiyear Smart Energy Plan project in St. Francois County aimed at delivering improved reliability for approximately 1,600 homes and businesses in the area.

The upgrades at the Terre du Lac substation include more than 200 new poles, a mix of wood and composite poles, 11 miles of new 34-kV line to connect to the nearby Unicity substation and the installation of new smart switch devices. Smart switch technology is said to detect and isolate damage rapidly, rerouting power when possible — reducing outages and speeding power restoration. This technology can minimize outages from hours to minutes and even seconds.

The upgrades at the Terre du Lac substation include more than 200 new poles, a mix of wood and composite poles, 11 miles of new 34-kV line to connect to the nearby Unicity substation and the installation of new smart switch devices. (Ameren)

In June, crews installed smart switch equipment near the Terre du Lac substation designed to reduce outage times.

“The Smart Energy Plan investments we’re making in the communities we serve are crucial to ensuring our customers have safe and reliable energy,” said Russ Burger, southeast division director for Ameren Missouri. “Our customers depend on us to deliver reliable service and they’re seeing fewer outages with shorter durations, delivering up to a 40% improvement in reliability on circuits with innovative technology.

“Thanks to these investments, our system performs better even in extreme weather events such as the intense heat we are experiencing this summer.”

Construction at the Terre du Lac substation will be complete by the end of this year. To learn more about Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan, visit AmerenMissouri.com/SmartEnergyPlan.