Community input helps shape potential route for transmission project near Benton

Key Takeaways:

• Ameren plans to build new electric infrastructure and upgrade existing equipment to strengthen reliability in the region.
• Plans call for a new transmission line connecting Ameren Illinois' existing Benton Northwest Substation to Southern Illinois Power Cooperative's (SIPC) Franklin Junction Substation, located south of Hanaford.
• The public is invited to attend the second open house to see six preliminary route options under consideration for a single transmission line route.

BENTON, Ill. (Aug. 28, 2026) - Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois (ATXI) is hosting its second in-person public open house next week in Franklin County to gather public input on the Lakeland Area Reliability Project. All members of the community are invited to attend the open house and provide feedback on six preliminary route options under consideration for a single transmission line after receiving feedback during the first round of public engagement in July.

• Tuesday, Sept. 1: 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 5-7 p.m., Benton Civic Center, 414 W. Hudelson St., Benton, IL 62812

ATXI is working with Southern Illinois Power Cooperative (SIPC) and Hoosier Energy on this project to enhance reliability in the area. The project includes the construction of an approximately 15-mile, 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Ameren Illinois' existing Benton Northwest Substation to SIPC's Franklin Junction Substation, located south of the Village of Hanaford. The Benton Northwest Substation will also be upgraded as part of the project.

The six preliminary route options were defined after reviewing feedback received during the first open house. From the Franklin Junction Substation, two of the route options would primarily approach the Benton Northwest Substation from the south and west of Benton, while four of the route options would connect these substations by passing east and north of Benton. The preliminary route options are available for viewing on the project website.

Once in service, the project will improve energy reliability for local communities and the surrounding region, improve resiliency to minimize power limitations and their impacts to local communities, and support long-term economic growth in the region.

The open house will offer the latest information about the project and an opportunity to provide feedback on the routing process. Each session will include the same information, with no formal presentation. A self-paced virtual engagement presentation and interactive comment map are also available online.

"The route options we are presenting were developed after carefully reviewing feedback received during our first open house. No final route has been selected at this point. Additional public input will help inform the next phase of route evaluation," said Sam Gardner, project manager for Ameren. "Local engagement has been important, and we encourage community members to continue participating throughout this process as we work toward identifying a preferred route."

The project team will use routing criteria and input collected from the second round of public engagement to identify preferred routes and present them at the third round of open houses in October. Finally, using the data and input collected from the third round of engagement, the project team will select a "Primary Route" and an "Alternate Route" to submit to the Illinois Commerce Commission for approval.

The project is scheduled to be in service in December 2028. For more information, visit Ameren.com/LakelandArea, email [email protected], or call the project hotline at 833.478.7733.

About Ameren Corporation
St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.5 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 67,700-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution service and natural gas distribution service. Ameren Missouri provides electric generation, transmission and distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops, owns and operates rate-regulated regional electric transmission projects in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, visit Ameren.com, or follow us at @AmerenCorp, Facebook.com/AmerenCorp, or LinkedIn.com/company/Ameren.