Small Hydro

NYPA begins maintenance work at 9-MW Gregory B. Jarvis small hydroelectric plant

NYPA begins maintenance work at 9-MW Gregory B. Jarvis small hydroelectric plant

The New York Power Authority announces that it will begin work on three maintenance projects related to the 9-MW Gregory B. Jarvis small hydro power plant on Hinckley Dam in Oneida County.

The maintenance, related to public safety, involves the restoration of a downstream embankment that suffered storm damage in October 2019, the refurbishment of one of the dam’s water-regulating gates, and improvements to bolster the safety and stability of the dam.

The maintenance work is expected to continue until early October. NYPA says the work will not impact the reservoir’s water levels or recreational activities.

The Jarvis project, which features two turbine-generator units, began operating in 1986 along the Erie Canal and is named in honor of an astronaut from the Mohawk Valley who was killed that year aboard the space shuttle Challenger.

NYPA is the largest state public power organization in the U.S., operating 16 generating facilities and more than 1,400 circuit-miles of transmission lines. More than 70% of the electricity NYPA produces is clean renewable hydropower.