Ameren Missouri has been awarded a US$ 47 million Smart Grid Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to accelerate infrastructure upgrades to support reliability for customers in rural and disadvantaged communities statewide.
Coupled with the company’s own investment of $54 million, Ameren is implementing a $101 million total investment in the energy future of rural Missouri.
Ameren Missouri’s Rural Modernization program
These upgrades are part of Ameren Missouri’s Rural Modernization program, which is designed to improve energy resilience, simplify operations and deploy smart technology to increase capacity and service reliability across northeast, southeast and central Missouri.
Revitalizing rural energy infrastructure has been a key focus as equipment in those regions gets older"
“Revitalizing rural energy infrastructure has been a key focus as equipment in those regions gets older, while demand simultaneously increases,” said Mark Birk, Chairman and President of Ameren Missouri.
Accelerated grid upgrades
Mark Birk adds, “This federal grant will help us accelerate the crucial grid resilience upgrades we’re already making across the state as part of the Smart Energy Plan. The funds will also serve as an economic catalyst that enables business and job development that helps our rural communities thrive and grow.”
Anticipated upgrades in Ameren Missouri’s Rural Modernization program include:
- Modern, smart technology, including upgrades to 16 aged substations with improved grid controls for real-time monitoring.
- Advanced outage detection and restoration technologies.
- Increased grid capacity to support resiliency, economic growth, attract businesses, and enable workforce development opportunities in rural and disadvantaged communities.
16 substations identified for upgrades
The 16 substations identified for upgrades are located in the following counties in Ameren Missouri’s service territory: Cooper, Iron, Lincoln, Livingston, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Pike, Randolph, Scott, Stoddard and Washington.
Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program
The GRIP Program is an initiative under the DOE’s Grid Deployment Office and seeks to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change.
Funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and administered by DOE’s Grid Deployment Office, the GRIP program leverages federal and private investments to ensure that communities across the nation have a reliable grid that's prepared for extreme weather, while also delivering affordable, clean energy and creating robust local opportunities for economic investment and jobs.