Projects Ready for Construction

Indian River Power Supply LLC

Swift River Hydro Operations Company owns and has developed a hydro plant rehabilitation project that is ready for immediate construction.  It has all necessary permits and licenses and only lacks construction financing.  Indian River could be operating with one turbine before the end of 2009 and will have the second unit commissioned by the end of 2010.  SRHOCO has applied for bank financing, but prior lenders that have financed its hydro projects in the past are unwilling to commit funding in the current uncertain economic and financial crisis. Therefore, Indian River has applied for federal assistance under the emergency stimulus act recently passed by Congress and to the Mass Dept. of Energy for grant funding available to "shovel ready" renewable energy projects. This is a 1450 kW hydro project ready for immediate construction, where the owner already has purchased most of the equipment that it intends to repower in its machine shop in Wilbraham, Massachusetts..

Operating Projects

Swift River now operates 5 hydro projects, but previously has developed and operated over 20 renewable energy projects in New England.

Collins Hydro Electric LP

 

Collins has two 750 KW full Kaplan turbines at net head of 15.4 feet installed in bulbs which operate under float control as run-of-the-river hydro projects.  Average annual production of 5,640,000 kWh is sold to Commonwealth Electric Company on a long-term fixed price contract.  Collin's generation history is summarized in the following graph:

Sebec Electric LP

 

Sebec has a 315 KW and a 555 KW semi Kaplan turbines installed at the end of Sebec Lake in an abandoned site owned by Bangor Hydro Electric Co (BHE).  The site is leased for 40 years from BHE.  Rated net head is 15.8 feet but under some conditions head may increase to 17 feet. The ESAC equipment is installed in bulbs which operate manually since they are set at the end of the 11-mile long Sebec Lake.  Average annual production of 3,164,000 kWh is sold to BHE on a long-term PPA whose price increases steadily during the next 15 year period.  Output history is summarized in the following graph:

 

 

Woronoco Hydro LLC

 

The owners of SRC and DHC bought the Woronoco hydro project from IPC which shutdown its Woronoco paper mill about 5 years ago.   Woronoco has a 1,700 KW Francis turbine installed recently in a much older wicket gate case.  On average this turbine generates about 9,148,000 kWh per year. Also in the same powerhouse there are two 450 KW Francis turbines and generators that have not operated for about 10 years that SRHOCO has begun rehabing since these t/g sets are part of the 2,700 kW FERC license. In addition, the owners have found a 1,100 kW vertical Kaplan unit which they propose to add to the FERC license as soon as it is possible to complete the agency consultation for a FERC license amendment.  The average net head is 55.4 feet and Woronoco plans to add another 2.5 feet of flashboards to bring the site back to its historic head.  Average annual production of 13,250,000 kWh will be sold to a local municipal electric company on a long-term contract or sold to WMECO at the hourly ISO spot price.  Recent output history is summarized in the following graph:

 

 

Turners Falls Hydro LLC

 

The owners of SRC and DHC also bought the Turners Falls hydro project from IPC, which shutdown its Strathmore paper mill about 3 years ago.   Turners Falls has a 950 KW vertical Francis turbine installed recently in a wicket gate case and scroll case built in 1918.  On average this turbine could generate about 8,322,000 kWh per year.  The average net head is 44 feet.  If the Water Exchange Agreement (WEA) is continued, the combination of annual production of 1,662,000 kWh plus 7,391,000 kWh of compensated energy will be sold to a local municipal electric company or industrial customer on a long-term contract or sold to WMECO at the hourly ISO spot price.  Expected output is simulated in the following table:

 

Pepperell Hydro LLC

Swift River Hydro Operations Company signed a Purchase and Sales Agreement with Pepperell Realty LLC to acquire the hydro plant that was formerly owned and operated by the Pepperell Paper Company during the last 90 years. The plant is located 600 feet downstream from the dam located on the Nashua River in the town of East Pepperell, Massachusetts. The plant is designed to have 1,920 kW installed, but one turbine was  removed in the mid '80s and a second turbine was damaged last summer.  When SRHOCO acquires the facility in January 2004, it proposes to rehabilitate the plant completely by installing two new turbines and a new generator and to install complete automation so the plant may be operated remotely. The annual output of the hydro plant during the last three year (2000 to 2003) averaged 3,408 MWh, a figure that we expect to more than double by installing two new turbines. With three turbine generator sets operating, annual production should exceed 7,123 MWh on average. The following set of monthly output curves illustrate the high and low flow variation around the long term average, and compare it to output in 2002. The curves illustrate the unusually low flows that are typical of the Nashua River during the summer months from June to October.

Prior Projects of Swift River

From 1982 until 1989, Swift River developed, financed, constructed and operated 18 hydro projects around New England.  The first 3 of these projects were sold to Consolidated Hydro in 1985 and all but Pioneer, Collins and Sebec were sold to Swift River / Hafslund in 1989.  Of this original group of projects, Swift River still manages and operates Collins Hydro LLC and Sebec Hydro LP.  For more information see the Prior Project page.

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