Upgrades Support Smarter, Stronger Grid in Cape Girardeau

This upgrade, made possible through the Smart Energy Plan, will help reduce outages due to aging equipment and enable future growth in an area that includes Mercy Hospital Southeast, Southeast Missouri State University and the commercial corridor along Kingshighway.

The area is currently served by two substations, each of which has equipment that is more than 60 years old. The expected life of most substation components is 50 years, after which they can be more susceptible to failure or the need for more frequent, and costly, maintenance. This project will combine the load from both aging substations into a new, dual-unit substation at Ameren Missouri’s Cape Girardeau Operating Center.

Building the new substation at an Operating Center will make maintenance and inspection work more efficient for crews. The dual units will make it easier to shift load without the need for additional outages. “People in Cape Girardeau and throughout southeast Missouri expect reliable power, and that is what we are looking to deliver with this project,” says Russell Burger, director of Ameren Missouri’s southeast division. “This new substation will benefit major employers, schools, health care facilities and our friends and neighbors in this community.”

The project includes additional aspects aimed at supporting increased reliability for residents in the area. Ameren Missouri is upgrading nearly 4 miles of overhead lines, removing and replacing dozens of aging wood poles and adding two composite poles. Made from resin and fiberglass, composite poles are twice as strong as traditional wood poles.

Several types of smart switches will also be installed along the overhead lines. These devices can automatically detect outages and rapidly reroute power - which can help improve reliability by up to 40% while reducing outages from hours down to minutes or even seconds. In 2024, smart switch devices have helped prevent more than 36,000 customer outages in Missouri.

The project is expected to be in service by the end of 2024. The existing substations will be retired and removed once the new substation is online.