Celebrating Hydropower: The St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project
New York Power Authority
NYPA is the nation's largest state power organization, serving government, not-for-profit, and business customers.
“There is the St. Lawrence—and, stretched across it, one of the most colossal single works of man, a structure of steel and concrete…vaster by far than any of the pyramids.” – Robert Caro, journalist and biographer.
Opening in 1958, this massive dam, which spans the St. Lawrence River on Barnhart Island in Massena, NY, was NYPA’s first active power plant. The half-mile structure is a cooperative project between the U.S. and Canada, with each country operating half of the plants 32 turbines. NYPA’s 16 units alone produce more than enough electricity to light up a city the size of Washington, D.C.
Construction of the project began in 1954 and was initially expected to last up to seven years. However, more than 20,000 worked from both the United States and Canada pulled together and completed the project in just four years. They worked in difficult conditions, with the temperatures dropping as low as 57 degrees below zero in the winter. However, despite the challenges, the workers remained dedicated to the task and seeing the project through to completion.
One of the workers on the project was Everett van Patten, who was assigned to the construction of Long Sault Dam, which acts as a control dam and sits upstream from the Power Project. In this video , you’ll meet Everett and hear what it was like to build this engineering marvel from the ground up.
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3 个月The St. Lawrence-FDR Power Project is indeed a remarkable engineering achievement, and it’s fascinating to hear stories from those like Everett van Patten who contributed to its construction. As we approach National Hydropower Day, it’s important to reflect on the significance of projects like this, which have played a crucial role in powering communities while showcasing the ingenuity of our engineers. The legacy of such projects continues to inspire new generations of engineers and underscores the importance of hydropower in our clean energy future. How do you see the lessons learned from these past projects influencing the development of future renewable energy infrastructure?