Ameren Missouri opens new operating center in Park Hills
State and local elected officials and notable community members participated in the Ameren operating center’s ribbon-cutting celebration in March. Submitted
Ameren Missouri announced the opening of its new, state-of-the-art operating center in Park Hills and recently hosted an open house with about 80 visitors in attendance. The St. Francois Operating Center substantially upgrades area operations, supporting faster restoration times and greater reliability for customers across the county and throughout Missouri.
The new facility replaces an existing operating center in Park Hills, which was in service for over 60 years.
“The old operating center served us well, but it needed extensive and costly repairs,” said Russ Burger, director of the Southeast Missouri division at Ameren Missouri. “Building a new facility was more cost-effective than rehabilitating the old one. The new operating center is also closer to Highway 67, which will help crews respond to outages faster.”
The new facility brings all 40 Ameren Missouri co-workers in the area under one roof for streamlined operations, making it easier for teams to collaborate on repairs, upgrades, and maintenance. It includes larger outdoor storage for essential equipment like poles and wires, and a larger space for transmission materials that will serve all of Missouri.
“This facility isn’t just supporting improved response times in St. Francois County, but for all our Missouri customers,” said Burger. “Transmission supplies from St. Francois County were critical to restoring power throughout the state following a tornado outbreak earlier this month. This facility will ensure safe, reliable electric service for decades.”
The new St. Francois Operating Center is one of many critical infrastructure investments Ameren Missouri makes through the Smart Energy Plan. These investments include stronger poles, upgraded power lines, and smarter technology to reduce outages and respond faster when they do occur. In 2025, Smart Energy Plan investments have helped prevent more than 100,000 customer outages in Missouri.
To learn more about Ameren Missouri’s reliability investments, visit AmerenMissouri.com/SmartEnergyPlan.
About Ameren Missouri
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and its electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. The company’s mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.3 million electric and 135,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company’s service area covers approximately 60 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.
