COLLINSVILLE – Improvements in the resiliency of its natural gas delivery infrastructure and upgrades to its underground storage capabilities ensure that Ameren Illinois is ready for a blast of arctic temperatures forecast in the Midwest early next week. Natural gas is the primary fuel source used by nearly 1 million Ameren Illinois customers to heat homes and power appliances in the winter.
“The investments we have made to strengthen our pipelines, along with having an abundant supply of gas already purchased and available for delivery, ensures that we will be able to meet the expected increase in demand that comes when temperatures drop,” said Lenny Singh, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois.
The company owns and operates 12 underground storage fields, capable of safely storing 24.2 billion cubic feet of natural gas. Ameren Illinois also leases an additional 15.3 billion cubic feet of gas from fields located outside of Illinois. The storage fields serve three primary purposes:
- Enable Ameren Illinois to purchase natural gas at lower prices during the spring and summer months, store it in extensive underground storage fields, and then withdraw the gas during the winter months to deliver to customers. This helps keep natural gas bills lower in the winter.
- Ensure Ameren Illinois has enough natural gas to meet demand on cold winter days.
- Balance day-to-day, hour-to-hour variabilities of customer demands.
“Natural gas drawn from storage provides 50 percent of our peak day supply,” said Tim Eggers, Director of Natural Gas Storage Fields for Ameren Illinois. “Not only is the supply available and reliable, we’re more immune to price spikes as well as gas production and pipeline disruptions, which are common during extreme cold weather events.”
Customers experienced the benefits of the company’s natural gas strategy a year ago when Winter Storm Gerri blasted the Midwest, with temperatures dipping below zero. On Jan. 14, 2024, Ameren Illinois recorded its fourth highest natural gas load in nearly 15 years. The company estimated its customers saved approximately $22 million on their gas bills because Ameren Illinois limited purchases of higher priced natural gas on the open market when gas prices spiked during the cold spell.
Ameren Illinois natural gas storage fields are located in the following areas: Ashmore, Centralia, Eden, Freeburg, Galesburg, Glasford, Hookdale, Hillsboro, Johnston City, Lincoln, Sciota and Tilden. The company’s storage field in Freeburg, for example, holds 1.9 billion cubic feet of natural gas or enough to fill (St. Louis Cardinals) Busch Stadium 80 times.
In addition to the storage fields, Ameren Illinois has continued investing in its natural gas transmission pipeline system to enhance customer reliability during the wintertime. The company has replaced more than 150 miles of high-pressure transmission pipeline, 450 miles of coupled-steel pipeline, and more than 80 pressure regulating stations.
“A strong and resilient natural gas system is necessary to support the energy needs of our customers now and as we expand clean energy resources into the future,” Singh said. “Continued investments in downstate Illinois’ vast natural gas delivery infrastructure – pipelines and storage facilities – are needed to maintain the safe, affordable, and reliable energy that hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses rely on every day. Further, improvements to the natural gas system will accommodate and support the development of renewable natural gas and other future clean fuel technologies.”
