Getting Hydroelectric Plant Up and Running Again More Than A Job - It's A Passion
By: Philip A. Vanno , The Saratoga Record - 10/14/2003
HALFMOON - When legendary General Electric engineer Charles Steinmetz designed the Mechanicville Hydroelectric Plant in 1897, he probably never dreamed it would still be running more than a century later.
While much has changed since those simpler times, the fact that the plant will be generating power from at least one of its seven turbines by the end of the month has to be looked upon as a tribute to the quality of American craftsmanship.
Thanks to a legal battle between then-owner Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. and Albany Engineering Corp., the facility's proud new owner, it's been seven years since electricity coursed through the veins of the historic plant.
Albany Engineering Corp. President James Besha said he has been waiting since around 1986 to take over the plant and was ecstatic to get the deal done in August.
"It was going to be demolished, but we came to Niagara Mohawk with an alternative, and that alternative was adopted," Besha said. "There was a legal dispute, but that's all in the past now. We're just happy to have it back in our hands."
After being constructed by Ohio native Robert King 106 years ago, the plant went
through many hands, from the Albany Engineering subsidiary Hudson River Power Corp. to Adirondack Power Co. to New York Power Co.
According to Besha, despite its shutdown in 1997, the hydroelectric plant is recognized as the "oldest continually operating" facility of its kind in the country.
"There are some plants in the U.S. that are older, but they don't still have the original equipment," Besha said. "I'm sure you've heard of the leading edge of technology. Well, we're at the trailing edge."
All kidding aside, the nationally registered historical site, which lies alongside the Hudson River on the west side of Lock 2 of the Champlain Canal, does still utilize its original cast iron General Electric generators to produce 4.5 megawatts of power.
"They're so steady you could balance a nickel on them," Besha beamed.
The power is derived from the Hudson itself, which is dammed up in two places on the plant's grounds and flows underneath the facility, churning its turbines at 114 revolutions per minute.
In addition to the marvel of its century-old mechanism, one can't help but admire the beautiful cast brick fireplaces, tin ceilings and long leaf pine floors that Besha's company is making a point to restore.
"We want to keep it as much like it was in 1897 as possible," he said.
Work crews have been busy for the past two months waterproofing the building's old roof and getting things as structurally secure as possible.
Besha said the entire project will take a few years, but that a limited amount of power will be back on-line in about two weeks.
While the plant once supplied power to all of Albany, Troy and Schenectady, Besha said it now could probably squeeze out just enough juice to cover Mechanicville.
The plant's power is not devoted to one area, however, as Besha explained that the plan for now is to sell the electricity to NiMo, which still has a substation on the grounds, on a temporary basis.
"It will just go back into the power grid for the area ... probably somewhere in Rennselaer and Saratoga counties," Besha said. "We're going to deal with Niagara Mohawk for now, but that could change down the road. We have a lot of interested customers."
But getting the plant operational is not the only goal Besha has in mind. When all is said and done, the plant will also be used as an educational tool.
"It will eventually be open for tours to the public," Besha said. "We hope to get school kids in here to show them the inner workings of hydroelectricity."
It is obvious that Besha is excited about the possibilities of what might be and is highly anticipating the completion of the plant."You can say it's been a crusade," he joked. "But everything is on the right track now. This place has been through it all, from the world wars to the Great Depression ... and it just keeps on going. It's kind of like the Energizer Bunny."
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