New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Raquette River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 5,300 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in St. Lawrence County

St. Lawrence County has a population of 106,940. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 22,121 cases in the county.

No ozone or particle pollution grades are available for this county in the most recent report. The figures above describe how many residents live with conditions sensitive to air quality — not measured pollution levels.

Long-term exposure to air pollution has been linked to certain health conditions, particularly for children and older adults. Where electricity comes from affects how much combustion pollution is produced on the grid.

These figures describe the county as a whole and are not specific to this facility. Sources: American Lung Association – State of the Air (New York); U.S. EPA Air Quality Index.

The story behind this New York renewable energy facility

Hannawa is one of New York’s 142 hydropower plants in this category, and it ranks #26 of 142 by 2024 electricity produced. It sits on the Raquette River in Pierrepont, in St. Lawrence County, and has been running since 1914. Hydropower means the plant uses flowing river water to spin turbines, which are wheel-like machines that turn motion into electricity.

In 2024 Hannawa produced 52.5 gigawatt-hours, a gigawatt-hour being a very large unit of electricity, enough to power about 5,300 homes. Its two generators, the machines that make the electricity, have a combined capacity of 7.2 MW, a megawatt being the most power the plant can send out at once. Erie Boulevard Hydropower LP owns it, and National Grid is the local utility.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 20,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as not burning about 21,000,000 pounds of coal.*

Nearby places worth exploring

Pierrepont sits in St. Lawrence County, where the Adirondack foothills and the St. Lawrence River frame the landscape. Nearby Canton is home to St. Lawrence University and SUNY Canton, and Potsdam is home to Clarkson University and SUNY Potsdam.

Local school district

Potsdam Central School District

Common questions

* Homes-powered and emissions comparisons are annual estimates based on national averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Homes powered” describes a quantity of electricity, not direct service to specific households. How we calculate this.