“The mighty power of the Niagara has
    been harnessed for the public good.”

Efforts to capture the energy of the Niagara River began around 1757, with the powering of a private sawmill. Yet it was the creation of the New York Power Authority, established by Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1931, that improved upon earlier hydropower operations by sharing the bounty of this natural resource with the general public. Eighty years after its establishment, the Power Authority proudly continues its role as steward of New York’s major hydropower resources, and in 2011, NYPA marks the 50th anniversary of first electricity at its Niagara Power Project.

The Niagara project’s history dates from 1956, when a rockslide destroyed Niagara Mohawk’s Schoellkopf hydropower plant. With tens of thousands of jobs in danger, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Niagara Redevelopment Act the next year, directing the Federal Power Commission to clear the way for NYPA to redevelop the Niagara River’s hydropower potential.

Half a century later, those benefits are flourishing.  As the links below illustrate, a major portion of Niagara’s power is allocated to industries throughout Western New York. And a new federal relicensing agreement has created powerful partnerships to protect our environment for many decades to come.

The Power Authority’s Niagara project has contributed to the economic stability and growth of Western New York and New York State for a full half-century. More...

• Niagara Power Project Fact Sheet
• Niagara Power Project Important Dates
• Niagara Power Project Presidential Quotes First Power