Associated Press | It’ll soon be time to say goodbye to AmerenIP,
AmerenCIPS and AmerenCILCO. St. Louis-based Ameren Corp. plans to merge its three Illinois electric
and gas utilities into a single utility known as Ameren Illinois.

The consolidation is expected to be completed by Oct. 1. Ameren says the new company will still be a subsidiary of the St. Louis corporation, but it will operate as a separate company and be headquartered in Peoria.

An Ameren spokesman says the consolidation is designed to streamline operations and cut costs.

The three utilities currently serve 1.2 million electric and 840,000 natural-gas customers in central and southern Illinois.