MASSIVE AMEREN GRID PROJECT COULD BRING NEW TRANSMISSION CORRIDORS THROUGH PIKE COUNTY, MO

PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — A major Ameren transmission project could substantially change portions of the Pike County landscape, replacing miles of existing power-line structures while potentially creating as much as 11 miles of entirely new transmission corridor through the county.

The project is officially known as the Eastern Missouri Grid Transformation Project, a joint undertaking by Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois and Ameren Missouri.

The overall project calls for more than 130 miles of new or upgraded transmission lines stretching across Marion, Ralls, Pike, Lincoln, St. Charles and St. Louis counties, as well as the City of St. Louis. Ameren currently targets completion of the massive project for 2032.

In Pike County, the work is part of what Ameren calls the Maywood-Belleau segment, which extends from the existing Maywood substation near Palmyra to the Belleau substation in O’Fallon.

Ameren says the Pike County route passes near Frankford, Bowling Green, Cyrene and Eolia.

According to Ameren’s own Pike County project information, approximately 27 miles of existing wooden H-frame transmission structures would be replaced with new steel monopoles capable of carrying additional electricity.

Ameren says the newer structures would generally allow longer distances between poles, meaning fewer individual structures may be required and the footprint of each structure could be smaller.

However, the proposal goes beyond simply replacing existing transmission poles.

Ameren says up to 11 miles of transmission line in Pike County could be rerouted through new corridors.

Those portions could include double-circuit structures carrying a new 345-kilovolt transmission line while also relocating existing 161-kilovolt circuits into the new corridor.

That possibility has become a major concern for some landowners because a new corridor could potentially place transmission infrastructure across property that currently has no major transmission line.

Questions raised by residents include where the final route will be located, what easements Ameren may seek, the visual impact of the structures, effects on agricultural property and how much influence individual landowners will have over routing decisions.

More than 250 people reportedly attended a recent meeting concerning the project, demonstrating the level of interest and concern surrounding the proposal.

Ameren says the project is needed to replace aging infrastructure, increase the

amount of electricity the transmission system can carry and improve the reliability and resiliency of the regional power grid.

The company also says much of the overall project will use existing transmission corridors.

But Ameren acknowledges that it is continuing to evaluate existing rights-of-way and studying alternative routes where obstacles or other constraints exist.

That means some elements of the route remain subject to change during the routing and regulatory process.

Ameren previously held a Pike County open house on June 10 at VFW Post 5553 in Bowling Green as part of a second round of public meetings across eastern Missouri.

The project is not limited to Pike County. The Maywood-Belleau segment continues south through Lincoln County and into St. Charles County, forming part of a much larger transmission overhaul stretching from northeast Missouri toward the St. Louis metropolitan area.

For Pike County landowners, however, the immediate concern is much closer to home: whether the final route remains largely inside existing utility corridors or whether miles of new right-of-way ultimately cross farms and other private property.

RiverNewsLive will continue following the routing process and any developments affecting Pike County property owners.