By EDWARD HUSAR

Herald-Whig Staff Writer

Quincy officials are still assessing interest shown by power companies and other entities in possibly taking over the city's hydropower projects in Canton and Saverton, Mo.

The city has halted efforts to develop hydropower at Lock and Dam 20 in Canton and Lock and Dam 22 in Saverton so it can focus on hydro possibilities at Lock and Dam 21 in Quincy, Lock and Dam 24 in Clarksville, Mo., and Lock and Dam 25 at Winfield, Mo.

The city now hopes to recoup some of its initial costs by turning over the Canton and Saverton projects -- along with its preliminary engineering studies -- to others with an interest in exploring those projects further.

Several weeks ago the city sent out a "request for proposals" and subsequently held meetings and interviews.

"We interviewed a handful of interested power agencies or brokers, and about half of them have requested more information about Lock and Dam 20 and 22," said Chuck Bevelheimer, director of planning and development.

Bevelheimer said he hopes to hear back from the entities in the next few weeks.

"We're still maybe a month away" before city officials decide on a course of action, he said.

"The power agencies need to have a chance to review the feasibility studies so they have an understanding of where we are right now and what the opportunities are for them. That's happening right now. Some have expressed an interest in more information. Some have not."

One entity that bowed out was the Board of Public Works in Hannibal, Mo., which had been intrigued by the hydro possibilities in Saverton, just downstream from Hannibal. Hannibal buys power from Ameren Energy Marketing and, in turn, distributes it to Hannibal residents. BPW officials wondered if they might be able to tap into a renewable energy source.

Don Willis, general manager of the BPW, said the board decided to back away from the Saverton project for two main reasons. One was a lack of time. Willis said Quincy had requested proposals to be submitted by Oct. 9, and BPW officials "just didn't have the time to complete all the things that were necessary."

Also weighing into the decision was the realization that the power-generating capacity at Saverton -- originally projected at 15 megawatts -- was subsequently downsized to a pilot project of just 2 megawatts. And there were indications the project might never be able to expand beyond that size.

"The size of the project had really decreased, which made it less desirable," Willis said.

Willis said Hannibal remains interested in pursuing renewable energy.

"Everybody is looking for the alternative or renewable energy sources, but this one just didn't work out for us," he said.

Bevelheimer said some entities have shown interest not only in the Canton and Saverton projects but also in the Quincy, Clarksville and Winfield projects.

In late 2006, Quincy received federal permits giving the city exclusive rights for three years to investigate the feasibility of building hydroelectric plants at the Quincy, Canton and Saverton locations. Those permits expire at the end of December. Quincy plans to seek an extension of the Lock and Dam 21 permit because that project is now moving forward at full speed.

Quincy also may be able to secure a permit extension for the Canton and Saverton projects if a willing partner surfaces, "assuming that, as part of the process, there's an advantage to the city to do that," Bevelheimer said. "We haven't gotten to that level of nitty-gritty in the negotiations."

Mayor John Spring said Quincy has spent about $1.5 million to study the feasibility of the Quincy, Canton and Saverton sites, with roughly $500,000 invested at each location. He would love to see the city recover some of that investment through its search for willing entity.

"We hope some good will come from that," he said.

-- ehusar@whig.com/221-3378