Ameren Illinois provides electric transmission and distribution services, as well as natural gas distribution services, to customers throughout central and southern Illinois. The company serves approximately 1.2 million electric customers and over 800,000 natural gas customers.
In 2017, it took a decisive step towards modernizing their asset management practices by implementing Copperleaf’s Decision Analytics Solution for its electric distribution and gas investments.
This transition marked a significant departure from previous reliance on cumbersome, macro-based spreadsheets. After a competitive evaluation of six different companies, Copperleaf emerged as the top choice due to superior usability and functionality. The transition required significant cultural change and education, but ultimately brought Ameren Illinois into a more modern era of asset management.
It took some culture change and education to make sure people got adjusted to the new system. Once it happened, we felt like we were in a new century.
SEMIR VAJZOVIC
Director, Asset, Investments & Risk Management
Ameren Illinois
Effective Project Comparisons
One of the standout features of the Copperleaf solution is its Value Framework, which provides organizations with the ability to identify, quantify, and agree on the benefits of different projects in financial terms, and on a common economic scale.
For Ameren Illinois, this capability meant they can easily and effectively compare, evaluate, and prioritize projects, such as the relative benefits of transformer replacements versus line reconductors.
By monetizing expected benefits through the value framework, Ameren Illinois could make more informed, value-based decisions that improve reliability, reduce failure risks, and mitigate environmental hazards. This capability was crucial in ensuring investment decisions were aligned with the company’s strategic objectives and regulatory requirements.
The Copperleaf Value Framework also includes factors such as risk reduction, performance improvement, and regulatory compliance.
By providing a clear and consistent way to evaluate projects, the Value Framework helps organizations like Ameren Illinois allocate resources more effectively and achieve better outcomes.
Tracking Community Impact
In addition to enhancing project comparisons, the Copperleaf product suite also facilitates tracking of project impact on customers in disproportionately impacted communities. This capability is particularly important as utilities increasingly focus on environmental justice, social responsibility, and equitable service delivery.
The Copperleaf solution supports the inclusion of social and environmental metrics by allowing organizations to define and track custom value measures. This capability means Ameren Illinois can incorporate considerations such as community impact, environmental sustainability, and social equity into their decision-making process. By doing so, they can ensure their investments not only deliver financial returns, but also contribute positively to the communities they serve.
Ameren Illinois plans to further integrate this community data into their value framework, ensuring that community impact is a key consideration in their investment planning process. This forward-thinking approach underscores the importance of not only financial and operational metrics, but also social and environmental factors in asset management.
Future Integration and Advancements
Looking ahead, Ameren Illinois envisions exciting advancements that will further enhance their asset management capabilities.
These include deeper integration with asset risk, management, and GIS systems. Such integration will enable Ameren Illinois to visualize assets more effectively and bundle investments in a way that maximizes value. This holistic approach will be particularly beneficial for navigating the complexities of a challenging regulatory environment, ensuring Ameren Illinois remains at the forefront of asset management innovation.
The Copperleaf solution is designed to integrate seamlessly with other enterprise systems, including GIS, ERP, and asset management systems. This integration allows organizations to use existing data and systems, creating a unified view of assets and investments.
For Ameren Illinois, this means being able to visualize asset data on a map, assess risk in real-time, and make more informed decisions about where to allocate resources. By bundling investments and considering the interdependencies between projects, Ameren Illinois can optimize their investment portfolio and achieve greater efficiencies.
Watch the full video to learn more about Ameren Illinois’s journey and the benefits they gained from implementing Copperleaf.
