• Ameren Illinois Hooks Up Mobile Substation to Address Flood Waters

    The company plans to reroute power from an existing substation impacted by flood waters to a mobile unit to make sure customers have electricity.
    April 18, 2025
    2 min read

    Ameren Illinois lineworkers and substation electricians are taking a proactive approach to keeping the lights on as the Ohio River continues to rise near Old Shawneetown, Shawneetown and Junction. With the Ameren electric substation that serves customers in the community predicted to be inoperable due to flooding conditions, the company is installing a portable substation on higher ground to ensure a continuous flow of power until conditions improve. 

    To get the mobile substation up and running, crews pulled the heavy equipment onto higher ground in
    the area, installed cables to the portable unit, energized it and then rerouted power from the existing in
    substation Old Shawneetown to the portable unit. To keep the mobile substation safe and secure, the
    crew set up a temporary fence. The company is also taking extra precautionary steps to make the local
    community aware that it is an active, energized substation.

    Ameren Illinois has 22 portable substations already secured on trailers and ready to be transported
    where they are needed. When needed, the mobile units can restore power to thousands of homes while
    repairs are being made to substation equipment that has malfunctioned. Ameren Illinois maintains
    several portable substations at its material distribution center in Decatur and stages several other
    portable substations at operating centers throughout its 43,700-square mile service territory.

    “You’ve heard the saying many hands make light work," says Martin Wooden, Gallatin County Emergency Manager. "That is true with so many people coming together to handle the obstacles associated with this flood. Ameren Illinois took note from the 2011 flood and was proactive bringing in the portable substation. We cannot stress how vital that has been to our planning. Ameren Illinois and the substation is the #1 critical infrastructure to support our county … without electricity, we don’t have water supply, sewer treatments, etc.”

    Once flood waters recede, lineworkers and substation electricians will check the permanent substation
    for damage and eventually route power through the permanent facility once again.

    Watch a Video About the Response to the Flood

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