Ameren Enhances Customer Reliability with Smart Technology, Preventing 150,000 Outages in 2025
- Ameren Missouri's smart technology prevented over 150,000 outages in early 2025, doubling its previous record.
- The smart switches averted 59,000 outages during a tornado, avoiding 43 million outage minutes in six months.
- Ameren Missouri's Smart Energy Plan includes upgrades to poles and power lines, enhancing reliability and efficiency.
Ameren Missouri’s Smart Technology Revolutionizes Customer Reliability
In a remarkable achievement, Ameren Missouri announces that its implementation of smart technology has significantly enhanced customer reliability, preventing over 150,000 outages during severe weather events in the first half of 2025. This milestone, more than double the previous yearly record set in 2023, underscores the effectiveness of the company’s Smart Energy Plan. The plan incorporates advanced automated devices known as smart switches, strategically installed along electric distribution lines to detect outages and reroute power. This proactive approach results in minimizing both the duration and impact of outages, often leading to only brief interruptions for customers.
The importance of this technology is exemplified by the recent tornado outbreak on March 14, during which the smart switches successfully averted 59,000 outages. As a result, Ameren Missouri reports an impressive 43 million outage minutes avoided in just the first six months of 2025. The cumulative impact of the smart switches since 2021 reveals a staggering total of approximately 90 million outage minutes averted, contributing to enhanced service reliability for customers across the region. With over 1,800 smart switches now operational, these devices, alongside other grid improvements, have the potential to enhance reliability by as much as 40%.
Beyond the deployment of smart switches, Ameren Missouri’s Smart Energy Plan encompasses additional upgrades, including the installation of stronger composite poles and the storm-hardening of over 250 miles of overhead power lines since 2019. These initiatives aim to further improve restoration times during outages and ensure safety and efficiency as the company prepares for future growth. Tim Lafser, senior vice president of energy delivery for Ameren Missouri, emphasizes that these smart devices continuously operate to bolster reliability, highlighting the company's ongoing commitment to providing dependable energy solutions and enhancing the quality of life for customers and communities alike.
In addition to their reliability achievements, Ameren Missouri is actively working to engage with the community on sustainable energy solutions. The company is focused on promoting energy efficiency programs that not only benefit customers but also contribute to a greener environment. This commitment to sustainability aligns with broader industry trends toward cleaner energy and responsible resource management.
As Ameren Missouri continues to invest in innovative technologies and infrastructure improvements, it positions itself as a leader in the energy sector, dedicated to enhancing customer experience while prioritizing safety and reliability in its service delivery.
