Buffalo Power Use

On November 15, 1896, the City of Buffalo, NY, joined the power grid being generated from Niagara Falls.   It became the first long distance transmission of electricity for commercial purposes in the U.S.   The cheap electrical power encouraged businesses to move into the Buffalo area.   The city grew in population while property values soared.   Because Niagara water had limited use by law, Buffalo built had to supplement hydropower with steam power, e.g., its mammoth Huntley steam power plant (exterior) & (interior).

Insurance statistics indicated that around 1895, there were about 400 steam boiler plants in use in Buffalo using coal and generating more than 33,500 hp.   Buffalo businesses recognized that lower cost Niagara electrical power brought into Buffalo would lower their costs.   However, not everyone wanted the Niagara Falls Power Company to control that power.   Local control was desired.   Therefore, in 1896, a new company, the Cataract Power and Conduit Company under George Urban, Jr., and controlled by Buffalo interests, which would buy the power from Niagara Power at the outskirts of Buffalo and control the power distribution throughout the city.   The conversion from steam to hydro generation of electricity was slow, but the cheaper hydro power eventually replaced most of the steam plants.   In fact, electricity use in Buffalo eventually became so great that the city had to contract with Electrical Development Company of Ontario for supplemental electrical power (1), (2).   On December 18, 1913, to be effective July, 1915, the Buffalo General Electric Company purchased the Niagara Falls Power Company.   It had bought the U.S. Electric Light and Power Company, the Brush Electric Light Company, and the Thomson-Houston Electric Light and Power Company in 1893.)   In 1923-24, about 90% of all industrial plants in Buffalo were fully electrified. ^{Adams 335-348}

Several other companies were formed to use the Niagara Falls power over an extensive region in New York and parts of Pennsylvania, such as, the Tonawanda Power Company, Niagara, Lockport and Ontario Power Company. ^{Adams 352}

The Niagara Falls Power Co. (new) was formed in 1918 and was the amalgamation of at least 5 separate companies.   Buffalo General Electric Co. was formed in 1891 or 1892 from 3 separate companies.   Both of these companies operated under their own names but became part of the Buffalo, Niagara & Eastern Power Corp. in 1925 or 1926.   In 1929, Buffalo, Niagara & Eastern became a division in what was then called Niagara Hudson Power Corp., which was a holding company for 3 such divisions across upstate New York.   Niagara Hudson reorganized and became Niagara Mohawk Power Corp. in 1950. ^N-M