Hudson Energy history

By 1911 the partners consolidated the three major components of the system--Poughkeepsie Light, Heat and Power Company, Newburgh Light, Heat and Power Company, and Hudson Counties Gas and Electric Company--into the Central Hudson Gas and Electric Company.

Central Hudson continued to expand and consolidate, and by 1926 it had 75 companies operating within its system.

In 1932, it reduced gas and electric rates by 9 percent and salaries of the officers by 14 percent.

In the summer of 1937, however, rulings by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), prompted by the passage of the Wagner Act, made the plan null and void, since it had been formed with the corporation's approval and participation.

In 1942, for example, the corporation signed a contract with the United States War Department to provide electric service to the newly developed Stewart Airfield property in Newburgh.

In 1950, Central Hudson's Golden Jubilee year, the corporation acquired the Hudson Valley Gas Company.

As early as 1961, Central Hudson had begun studying the feasibility of converting all or some of the units to oil-firing.

In 1963 the Atomic Energy Commission had granted the Enrico Fermi nuclear plant an operating license for test purposes, and two years later it was licensed to generate at a full 200 megawatt capacity.

Some years later, in February 1967, Central Hudson bought the property of the Ellenville Electric Company, completing the 2,600 mile franchise area in which it operates today.

Oil prices skyrocketed, as did the cost of electricity--a 42 percent increase in 1974 alone.

In June 1980, Central Hudson won its case by a vote of eight to one.

The corporation was projecting that the 632 megawatts would exceed 1,200 by 1982.