PEORIA (25News Now) – The gas bills for Ameren Illinois customers might be going up, but they might also have some new technologies for their homes.
The company has faced backlash from consumer advocacy groups this year for proposed gas rate hikes, roughly an 11% increase, but company reps say they need more resources to upgrade and maintain the systems.
Ameren Illinois filed a gas reliability plan with the Illinois Commerce Commission in January. Tuesday, leaders held an open house in Peoria to tell the community about their proposals.
Company leaders shared their plans to improve their natural gas delivery system. Ameren Illinois has submitted proposals for upgrades and replacements for pipelines, and changes to comply with federal safety requirements.
“It’s really about maintaining that reliability and resiliency that our customers have come to expect from us. And in the Peoria area over the last couple years, we’ve had several major projects people have probably seen,” said Brad Kloeppel, senior director for gas technical services.
Last year, Ameren upgraded a natural gas transmission pipeline along North University Street and Willow Knolls Drive.
Ameren’s proposed plan includes pilot programs for new technologies. One is advanced leak detection.
“We have new technology where we can drive around, or possibly even use satellites to detect leaks on our system. This basically makes it so we can respond to leaks before customers are even aware of them,” said Kloeppel.
Another technology is renewable natural gas, where technicians capture methane from an existing source and put it into their gas system.
All of the proposed new changes can’t be put in place without the approval of the Illinois Commerce Commission. The earliest this could happen is December 2025.
Customers that missed Ameren’s event Tuesday can leave a public comment to the Illinois Commerce Commission.
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