Emilia Teasdale is reporting for The Columbia Paper at 1:46 p.m. on Mon., Apr. 26 the Valatie Falls Hydro began generating power for the first time since June 2018. The plant is located off Route 203 at the entrance to Main Street in the village of Valatie. The Valatie Falls Hydro plant will be providing continuous power of approximately 160 kilowatts, eventually providing direct energy to the village, as well as charging the electric vehicles of PlugIn Stations Online, the plant owner. “I think it’s going to be great for the village,” Valatie Mayor Frank Bevens said. He noted that currently, the village could not use the power from the plant yet, but it will be good “when we are able to.” The plant was purchased in April 2020, and the team of VF Hydro and PlugIn Stations Online used the past year to rebuild the plant and refurbish the offices. “With the help of former owners Fred and Bob Munch as well as Jim Clevenstine from Clevenstine Engineering, this Federal Energy Regulatory Commission registered project was able to get back online,” according to a PlugIn Stations Online press release. The Valatie Falls Hydro plant housed the Valatie Falls Cotton Mill from 1845 to 1945. It first produced power in the early 1990s. The location is also famous for being the place where the final scene of the last movie Harry Houdini made, “Haldane of the Secret Service.” Plugin Stations Online has installed electric vehicle charging stations in Hudson, Greenport and Claverack, as well as the villages of Kinderhook and Valatie. The company headquarters are located in an office park in Valatie on Route 9. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.