September 18, 2020 – Ameren Illinois is adding new equipment as well as expanding the footprint of its County Highway 20 Substation to enhance energy reliability and resiliency for customers in Forsyth and the surrounding areas. The substation currently serves over 2,500 customers in the area. In April, work began to add new large-scale circuit breakers to the interior of the substation. In the event of an outage, circuit breakers within the substation allow Ameren Illinois the ability to safely deliver electricity to their customers and the company can then re-route power from other sources while repairs are made.
“This $7.5 million project is another key step in our long-range plans to construct a more robust electric grid to meet our customers’ growing needs,” said Brian Brackney, Electric Operations Director for Ameren Illinois. “We’re excited to bring these enhancements to our customers in Macon County.”
The enhancement is part of Ameren Illinois’ multi-year initiative that looks to modernize its energy delivery system. Beginning in 2012, the company started implementing projects and adding new technology. They also began strengthening poles, wires, and distribution equipment. As a result of the implementation, reliability has improved by an average of 17% and outage time has been reduced by 19%.
