Ameren Illinois has started construction work on a substation expansion project on the northwest side of Effingham, Illinois.
Ameren Illinois is investing $2.7 million in this project, expected to enhance electric service reliability, add resiliency to the local grid and support future residential and business growth.
The manufacturer is adding a second transformer inside the city’s existing substation. The new transformer is to support additional electric load growth, improve the resiliency of the grid, and enable power to be rerouted among the other substations in town in the event of an outage.
"The upgrades are part of our overall statewide plan to build a cleaner, greener, more resilient grid," said Dave Walters, Director of East Region Electric Operations, Ameren Illinois. "With these enhancements, Ameren Illinois is taking proactive steps to prepare for the future needs of our electric customers. We're excited to bring these enhancements to our customers in Effingham."
The enhancements are part of Ameren Illinois' multi-year initiative to modernize its energy delivery system. Since 2012, the company has implemented hundreds of projects, added new technology and strengthened poles, wires and distribution equipment. As a result, reliability has improved by an average of 22 % and the time of an outage has been reduced by 16 %.
The project is scheduled to be completed in by mid-May.
Source: Ameren