New York State History

 Today the Niagara Mohawk System comprises a net­work of power lines centering along the old waterways—the Mohawk Valley, the Erie Canal, and the well-beaten trail down the Oswego River to Lake Ontario. From Niagara the main electric transmission lines sweep 300 miles across the State to Albany, with long arms extending from Syracuse into the North Country along the St. Lawrence, and others southward from Buffalo to Olean and the shores of Lake Erie. At Albany the lines run north to Lake Champlain and south to Pleasant Val­ley on the border of Westchester County, where they intercon­nect with Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation and the Consolidated Edison System of New York City.

An eastward extension connects with the New England Power System, and in other parts of the territory connections are made with The Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, the New York State Electric and Gas Corporation, the Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation, and the systems in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

From these main transmission lines, thousands of miles of wire branch off to carry electricity at lower voltages to ultimate consumers—farms, homes, stores, and factories.

Power for the electric lines is developed from Niagara Mohawk's eighty-three hydroelectric sources and in seven steam-electric generating plants. Because of the geographical nature of the territory served by Niagara Mohawk, the early emphasis was on the development of hydroelectric generating capacity. During recent years, however, power from steam has been greatly increased, so that the System's steam capacity exceeds its hydro capacity.