Yes, Niagara Falls is beautiful, but it is also one of the largest sources of hydroelectric power in the United States. This clean energy is generated by two facilities in New York State: the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant and the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant. These plants have a combined 25 turbines spun by 748,000 gallons of water per second.
In Lewiston, NY, the Niagara Power Project was a gated tunnel under the City of Niagara Falls to divert water from the Niagara River into two reservoirs, which creates power when the water is released. The facility includes two intake structures, two underground conduits, pump stations, a fore bay, the Lewiston Reservoir, the Lewiston Pump Generating Plant, the Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant, and the Niagara Switchyard.
When the Niagara Power Plant produced its first power in 1961, it was the largest hydroelectric power facility in the western world. The plant currently generates more than 2.4 million kilowatts of electricity, which is the equivalent of lighting 24 million 100-watt lightbulbs. Since then, Niagara Falls has continued to be New York's largest energy producer.