Contracts & Customers
DOE Picks Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois and Pitch Aeronautics for Grid Upgrades
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- The U.S. Department of Energy selected Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois and Pitch Aeronautics to deliver grid upgrades in Missouri and Illinois.
- Pitch Aeronautics will deploy line-mounted sensors and software across more than 8,000 miles of Ameren transmission lines.
- Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois will upgrade two high-voltage line segments with new conductors that more than double their capacity.
- The project is part of the DOE's $1.9 billion SPARK initiative funding 31 grid-improvement projects across 26 states.
The U.S. Department of Energy selected Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois and Pitch Aeronautics Inc. to deliver grid upgrades in Missouri and Illinois, the companies announced on October 28, 2026. The project is part of the DOE's $1.9 billion SPARK initiative, which funds 31 grid-improvement projects across 26 states. PR Newswire carried the announcement.
How the Ameren and Pitch Aeronautics Project Works
Pitch Aeronautics will deploy line-mounted sensors to key parts of Ameren's transmission network and apply its software across the entire transmission system. The two technologies use real-time and predicted weather conditions to calculate how much energy each line can safely carry, allowing grid operators to move more electricity over existing lines when weather permits, such as during mild or windy days.
Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois will also upgrade two high-voltage line segments with new, advanced, high-performance conductors. Installation of the new conductors will more than double how much power those line segments can carry in all weather conditions, year-round.
"Ameren is working to deploy grid-enhancing technologies that will economically help us continue delivering the reliable energy our customers depend on," said Shawn Schukar, chairman and president of Ameren Transmission. "We expect this project will help us optimize the performance of our existing transmission system and deliver greater value to our customers."
Ian Gibson, COO and co-founder of Pitch Aeronautics, said the company will work alongside Ameren to deploy weather-based line ratings across more than 8,000 miles of transmission lines in Missouri and Illinois. The upgrades are expected to reduce congestion on transmission lines and make it easier for new sources of power generation to connect to the grid.
Ameren's Data Center Partnerships
According to akta.pro company records, Ameren Missouri signed a strategic partnership with Amazon in June 2026 to supply dedicated power capacity for a $10 billion data center campus in Montgomery County, Missouri. In May 2026, Ameren Missouri partnered with Google to add over 500 MW of power capacity and contract over 1 GW of new generation for Google's $15 billion New Florence, Missouri data center campus. The same records show Ameren serves approximately 2.5 million electric customers and over 900,000 natural gas customers through its rate-regulated utility subsidiaries.
Ameren Missouri's Recent Regulatory Steps
On October 23, 2026, the Missouri Public Service Commission approved Ameren Missouri's proposal to build solar and storage projects, CleanTechnica reported. On October 10, 2026, environmental advocates protested Ameren Missouri's long-term energy plan, urging retirement of coal units and more renewable investment, FOX 2 reported; Ameren's plan delays retirement of two coal units at Labadie from 2036 to 2042.
What Comes Next for the SPARK Project
Project results are reported to the DOE. Ameren Corporation's board declared a quarterly cash dividend of 75 cents per share, payable December 31, 2026 to shareholders of record on December 8, 2026, PR Newswire reported.