Ameren customers benefiting from energy project that improves reliability in Peoria area

Key Takeaways

• Residents and businesses in Peoria County now benefit from a stronger and more reliable local energy grid thanks to the Peoria County Reliability Project.
• The transmission line is designed to withstand severe weather and reduce the frequency and duration of power outages by creating an additional pathway for energy to flow into the region.
• Ameren worked with many vendors and contract partners located around Peoria to keep economic benefits in the community while building the project.

PEORIA, Ill. (Jan. 22, 2026) - Residents and businesses in Peoria County have a stronger local energy grid thanks to the recent completion of the Peoria County Reliability Project, a 5-mile, high voltage transmission line in north Peoria.

The new transmission line is now in service and providing benefits to the community. It's designed to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages by creating an additional pathway for energy to flow into the region, and it's made to support continued growth in the area.

"The Peoria County Reliability Project bolsters the grid to better withstand severe weather and help keep the lights on when severe weather hits," said Patrick Smith Sr., president of Ameren Illinois. "We delivered on keeping project costs as low as possible while ensuring this infrastructure was built the right way - on time and on budget - so that central and southern Illinois communities can see benefits for many years to come."

Ameren Illinois worked with 22 vendors and contract partners to develop the project, many of whom have offices or locations based around Peoria.

Community feedback was instrumental in shaping the final route for the 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line, which connects an existing substation in Alta with another in the city of Peoria. The approximately 5-mile line enters Peoria from the west, near West Altorfer Drive and Allen Road, before running south, parallel to Allen Road. It eventually turns east near the intersection of Allen Road and Willow Knolls Drive, before ending at the Pioneer Substation near Pioneer Park.

"We stayed in contact with landowners, county officials and other state and local agencies throughout the duration of this project. Collaborating with the local community helps us capitalize on opportunities for improvement and deliver the best value for customers," said Tyler Hazelwonder, project manager for the Peoria County Reliability Project. "A key part of that value was competitively bidding out this project and building it with Illinois-based union electric workers, keeping those economic benefits in our state."

Ameren Illinois' project team hosted a series of open houses in the area to answer questions from residents and landowners, collect valuable comments on route options, and further refine its proposal before gaining final approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) in August 2023 to proceed and complete the project.

Additional information is available on the project's website at https://www.ameren.com/reliability/transmission/peoria.

About Ameren Illinois

Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and more than 800,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles and our mission is to power the quality of life. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com. Follow us at @AmerenIllinois or Facebook.com/AmerenIllinois.