No new power plant in Reynolds County

LESTERVILLE -- A division of energy company Ameren Corp. said Aug. 29 it has stopped efforts to build a power plant atop one of the state's highest peaks The announcement came a few hours after the state filed a motion with a federal agency to kill the venture.

"Our intent was to follow an environmentally sensitive path by listening to the concerns of Missourians as we investigated this project," said Charles Mueller, Ameren's president, said in a press release. "In recent days, the views expressed to us have caused us to conclude that it is impossible to go forward with this project in an environmentally sensitive, yet cost-effective, fashion."

Ameren Development Corp filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in June for a permit to begin evaluating the project. It called for a $642 million, 770-megawatt hydroelectric power plant in nearby Reynolds County.

On Aug. 29, state Attorney General Jay Nixon, at the request of Gov. Bob Holden and the DNR, filed a motion with the federal agency asking it to disapprove the permit application.

Ameren proposed building the pumped-storage facility on Church Mountain, a summit just south of Taum Sauk Mountain, which at 1,772 feet is the highest peak in Missouri. Church Mountain, at 1,648 feet, is the state's 12th highest peak. Both are located near Johnson's Shut-ins State Park.