Ameren Illinois Joins Operations Technology Development (OTD)

Ameren Illinois recently became the 24th member of Operations Technology Development (OTD), a collaboration between some of the country’s leading natural gas utilities to develop, test, and implement new technologies for the natural gas industry. OTD leverages members’ resources and capabilities to address growing issues like aging infrastructure, new pipeline integrity regulations, climate change, environmental impacts, and alternative sources of supply.

Ameren Illinois is a regulated electric and gas delivery company based in Collinsville, Illinois. The company distributes natural gas to 816,000 customers in central and southern Illinois with a complex delivery system that includes over 18,000 miles of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines and 12 underground natural gas storage fields.

“We are pleased to join OTD, which is a recognized source for technology development and product introduction in the natural gas industry,” said Eric Kozak, senior director of Gas Operations for Ameren Illinois. “Through this collaboration, we will be able to leverage the strength of the OTD network and better serve our customers.”

Cooperative research in the natural gas industry is meeting the needs of energy customers, boosting the benefits of natural gas as an energy source, and identifying emerging needs and solutions. OTD’s 24 members serve over 45 million customers in the US and Canada, representing 57% of the households currently served by natural gas.

“We’re really happy to have Ameren Illinois join us,” says OTD President Ron Snedic. “With the addition of new members and their dedicated support, OTD will continue to deliver new and innovative solutions that enable the industry to continually improve operations while reducing operating costs, as well as achieve considerable environmental benefits.”

Through a unique structure, focused planning, and built-in flexibility, OTD addresses the industry’s major needs and research challenges. In recent years, OTD helped to introduce new technologies for plastic-pipe location, leak detection, pipe inspection, information management, environmental issues, and other applications. The development of key data, software, and web-based information, along with incorporating GPS and other information technologies, is essential to maintaining the integrity of the natural gas infrastructure. Others projects address codes, standards, and regulatory-compliance issues by developing and presenting R&D results that help companies in meeting often complex government requirements.