The Town of Lewiston recently approved its NYPA relicensing renewal agreement, allowing for the continued sale of low-cost hydropower in the town.
Lewiston is one of seven members of the Niagara Power Coalition, which had negotiated a 50-year federal relicensing agreement for the Niagara Power Project’s continued operation that was finalized in 2007. The others are the City of Niagara Falls, the towns of Wheatfield and Niagara, and the Niagara Falls, Lewiston-Porter, and Niagara-Wheatfield school districts.
Each member had its own attorney negotiating on their behalf, with Lewiston hiring ex-Western Regional Off-Track Betting President and CEO Henry Wojtaszek. Each member also has to approve the agreement separately, with the Town of Niagara granting its approving at its March meeting and Niagara Falls following suit earlier this week.
Lewiston Supervisor Steve Broderick did not respond to a request for further comment, as not all the parties had approved the agreement yet. The Gazette previously reported the coalition’s initial agreement was due for review, as it expired for Lewiston on Sept. 1, 2025, and continued until the new agreement was reached. It provided Lewiston with 6.5 MW of hydropower.
The original settlement agreement provided a total of 25 megawatts of low-cost hydropower to the coalition members, establishing a host communities fund of $5 million per year, and a host community greenway fund totaling $3 million annually.
The breakdown of the $5 million payments to the host communities as detailed in the original agreement, is as follows:
• Niagara Falls CSD: 13.5%
• City of Niagara Falls, 17%
• Lewiston Porter CSD, 14.5%
• Town of Lewiston, 17%
• Niagara Wheatfield CSD, 12%
• Niagara County, 13%
• Town of Niagara, 13%
Once each Niagara Power Coalition member approves their renewal agreement, NYPA’s board of trustees and Gov. Kathy Hochul both have to grant their approval of the agreement.