American Tissue Dam Before Rehabilitation by Swift River

Swift River's Mission

Swift River Company (SRC) develops renewable energy resources.  As project manager, Swift River provides the specialized skills, experience and financing to build and operate hydro in New England. SRC brings all aspects of project development under one management. 

Since 1983, Swift River has managed the Sebec and Collins hydro projects.  After 25 years, SRC sold Sebec in order to consolidate its operations in central Massachusetts.  Three energy projects developed by SRC in early years were sold to Consolidated Hydro Inc. (CHI) and ten other projects were sold to Swift River/Hafslund (see Prior Projects). However, in June 2001, Swift River purchased two operating hydro projects from International Paper Company (IPC).  Woronoco Hydro is located on the Westfield River in Russell, MA and Turners Falls Hydro draws its Connecticut River flow from the canal at Turners Falls, MA. For this acquisition, SRC formed Swift River Hydro Operations (SRHOCO) by merging with D. Hobbs Contracting Inc. (DHC) to rehab these new projects and to operate and maintain all of SRC's small hydro projects.  Additional capacity was then designed and installed at the Woronoco Hydro site in 2007/2008 under a renewed FERC license issued in 2002. Power from Woronoco and Turners Falls Hydro is sold as "green energy" to ISO-New England and RECs are sold to Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC) and to the regional REC market.

The merger of DHC with SRHOCO expanded Swift River's operations, maintenance and rehabilitation capabilities for managing and operating new hydro plants.  William K. Fay, SRHOCO's President, is a licensed hydro engineer who has inspected 60 dams for the Massachusetts Dam Safety Division and is authorized by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to perform Part 12 inspections of licensed hydropower facilities.  He and Davis Hobbs have rebuilt many hydro turbines for plants located throughout New England. See SRHOCO's history. To continue this business, Bill's brother Warren, a master machinist, has expanded SRHOCO's capabilities by building a machine shop to refurbish hydro equipment at the Company's headquarters in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.  Davis Hobbs is General Manager of SRHOCO.  The company operates 5 hydro plants and rehabilitates old powerhouses with their original equipment when it is uneconomic to replace it with new, more efficient hydro turbines.

Woronoco Hydro's original equipment was rebuilt, capacities increased, and fully automated for remote control.  SRHOCO has the tools, equipment and shop facilities to fabricate and repair hydroelectric equipment, regardless of its age or design.

Woronoco Powerhouse Before Rehabilitation by SRHOCO

Woronoco Powerhouse In 2008 After Rehabilitation by SRHOCO

Swift River is one of a few surviving small power producers in New England.   As the large electric companies have sold their generating equipment, most of the smaller private generators have sold their projects or gone out of business.  Swift River is now ready to buy licensed projects from industries who are shutting down their mills or other private developers who no longer wish to compete in the wholesale market for green renewable energy.  SRC formed the Swift River Trading Company (SRTC) to join NEPOOL and to manage ISO capacity payments and REC sales for its own account and for other clients.  A trained operating staff with low overhead costs is the only way to compete against large subsidiaries of electric utilities now buying up the generating capacity of New England.  Natural gas-fired turbines are the region's dominant  and least cost energy technology due to the sift from imports of high priced international oil to the lower priced natural gas flooding into New England.