New York power

Generates renewable electricity from the Hudson River, supporting New York communities and producing enough electricity for about 21,000 homes for a year.*

Air quality & health in Saratoga County

Saratoga County has a population of 238,711. Across five conditions the American Lung Association tracks — childhood asthma, adult asthma, COPD, lung cancer, and cardiovascular disease — it reports a combined 51,023 cases in the county.

The county received a grade of B for ozone pollution. No particle pollution grade is available.

Federal monitoring recorded 233 days of good air quality and 10 moderate days in the county over the most recent year, with 0 days rated unhealthy for sensitive groups.

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

Of the 142 hydropower plants in New York, the Hudson Falls Hydroelectric Project ranks #4 by electricity produced in 2024. It sits in South Glens Falls and uses water from the Hudson River to spin its turbines. That is conventional hydroelectric technology, meaning river water flows through a turbine, a wheel that turns when water pushes on it, and that motion drives a generator.

The plant began operating in 1995 and has two generators with a capacity of 44.0 MW. A MW, or megawatt, is a measure of how much power a plant can deliver at once. In 2024 it produced 210.4 gigawatt-hours, a unit of energy equal to a million kilowatt-hours, which is about 21,000 homes’ worth of electricity. Boralex Hydro Operations Inc owns it, and National Grid delivers the power locally.

Environmental impact

Produces electricity without burning fuel, which avoids roughly 81,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year compared with producing the same electricity from the national mix of power sources — about the same as keeping about 32,000 tons of waste out of a landfill.*

Nearby places worth exploring

South Glens Falls sits in Saratoga County, just a short drive from Saratoga Springs. That city is home to Saratoga Race Course, Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and Saratoga Spa State Park. Saratoga Lake lies just outside the city, a familiar spot for boating and lakeside afternoons.

Local school district

Hudson Falls 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.