Swift River's History

Swift River Company (SRC) was formed in 1981 to develop renewable energy in New England.  At present, Swift River focuses entirely on hydroelectric projects but it formerly built wood-fired cogeneration in New Hampshire and Maine and designed urban wood-fired powerplants to utilize waste wood going to landfills.  From 1981 until 1989, Swift River developed, built and operated 15 renewable energy projects totaling 30 MW.  The first three projects were sold to Consolidated Hydro Inc. (CHI) in 1983. All but three of the other projects were sold between 1986 and 1989 into Swift River/Hafslund, a joint venture SRC formed with Hafslund, a.s. a Norwegian hydro company with more than 100 years of operating experience.

From 1989 to 1992, Swift River operated 3 hydro projects and also developed an urban wood recycling company to work with Thermo Electron Corp to extract biomass materials from the waste stream going into urban landfills around Boston.  In 1990, SRC sold three 15 MW PPA's and wood project rights to Thermo Electron Corp. for final development during 1990-91.

In 1992 Dr. Peter B. Clark, President of Swift River Company, helped found Energía Global International Ltd. (EGI) to develop renewable energy projects in Latin America.  EGI now has over 150 MW of hydro operating in Costa Rica and Chile and a 25 MW wind farm in Costa Rica.  EGI is also part owner of an electric distribution company in El Salvador, is constructing 15 MW and 40 MW hydro projects in Guatemala and has 200 MW of renewable energy projects in development in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador.  In June 2001, EGI was purchased by ENEL, an Italian electric utility and owner of the world's largest renewable energy company.

The Collins Hydro facility during the spring flood  which dragged the barrel safety line over the dam.

Founder Profile

Dr. Peter B. Clark, President of Swift River Company, is a Ph.D. economist with international experience as a natural resource manager and energy project developer.   Formerly the director of a research division of the World Bank, Dr. Clark returned to New England to head up the Center for Energy Policy, a non-profit company formed in 1974 to plan regional energy strategies.  Since then he has founded five companies: Clark - McGlennon Associates, an environmental and energy consulting firm; Swift River Company, a leading regional energy developer; Swift River / Hafslund, the partnership that owns the projects formerly built by SRC; Energía Global, an international company devoted to renewable energy resource development and the sale of carbon offsets to the developed world; and Swift River Hydro Operations Company, specializing in rehab of older hydro sites around New England.  SRHOCO operates the Sebec Electric project in Maine, and 6 projects in Massachusetts including Collins hydro located just upstream of the Chicopee Hydro project that SRC sold to O'Connell in 1989, Woronoco, Turners Falls, Winchendon, Palmer, and Sturbridge Village, plus Montville in Connecticut. 

   Energía Global Ltd. built the largest
    wind farm in Central America and
    many hydropower plants.

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