Ameren Illinois continues equipment upgrades in Saline County
Ameren Illinois will complete upgrades to the county's energy delivery network by July, the company said in a press release Wednesday.
Ameren says the technology and distribution improvements, totaling $4.4 million in core infrastructure across six counties, will improve the reliability and performance of its energy delivery systems. The improvements should be in service by the end of 2015.
"We're excited to implement another step in our long-range plan to improve our electric delivery system in southern Illinois," said Eric Kozak, Director of Division VI Operations for Ameren Illinois. "The new technology and equipment we're putting in today will help ensure that we can meet the evolving demands of our business and residential customers in the future."
In Saline County, Ameren is working on two projects in Harrisburg, according to the press release from the company. "Vipers," the trade name for automatic reclosers, will be added inside the Harrisburg North substation on Dorris Heights Road.
Brian Bretsch, a spokesperson for Ameren Illinois, said Vipers are the latest in smart switching devices that detect problems on the power lines, such as a lightning strike or a fallen tree limb, and work to reduce the number of customers affected by a power outage. The smart switching devices can help pinpoint exactly where an outage is occurring, instead of having linemen patrol the area to look for damage.
The upgrades are part of Ameren's Modernization Action Plan, said Bretsch, and should not affect energy rates this year. However, rates could increase in 2016 after Ameren files formula rates with the Illinois Commerce Commission.
In addition, Ameren said it is upgrading approximately 10 miles of power lines and adding lightning protection equipment from Muddy substation to Inman. Investment in the projects total $680,000.
Local infrastructure projects are also in progress or have been completed in Franklin, Jackson, Johnson, Union and Williamson counties.