Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 2, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 15 ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY F O C U S dispatched anywhere in New England," he said. "e power from Vernon Station went to places in Central Massachusetts like Fitchburg, Leominster, Millbury, and Worcester, where there were centers of industrial activity at that time. So the very first transmission lines in New En- gland connected Vernon Station to these industrial hubs." Today, the company's facilities are controlled at a central hub in Vermont, but the Westborough office allows the company to tap into the Central Massachusetts' region talent pool for the administrative, marketing, IT, and other roles handled by its headquarters. "rough the various iterations of ownership, there's been a Westborough presence," Kibbe said. "So it's part of that legacy and for continuity with the folks that have been involved. It's also about access to talent. It's access to decision makers. It's access to a lot of the import- ant things that happen in Massachusetts, which is the largest consumer of electric- ity in the region." Giant batteries Great River Hydro's portfolio is locat- ed exclusively on the Connecticut and Deerfield Rivers, stretching from near the Canadian border in New Hamp- New England energy sources While hydro accounts for 7% of the electricity generated in New England, its importance to the grid comes from its reliability. Energy produced Percentage of Energy source (in gigawatt-hours) net energy for load Natural gas 59,883 51% Nuclear 26,547 23% Net imports (electricity generated outside New England) 10,293 9% Hydro 8,221 7% Solar 4,554 4% Wind 3,517 3% Refuse 2,650 2% Wood 1,771 2% Other 1,396 1% Source: ISO New England 2024 energy resource mix report shire down to the northwest portion of Massachusetts. Its assets account for about 23% of installed hydropower in New England, making it the largest provider in the region and a major national player in the space, Kibbe said. With 13 generation stations and three water storage reser- voirs, its facilities produce 1.6 million megawatt hours a year, enough to power about 213,000 homes. ose reservoirs are a key part of the importance of Great River Hydro's in- frastructure to the overall New England grid, as they basically serve as large batteries ready to provide power at a moment's notice, Kibbe said. While hydro accounted for 7% of New England's net energy load in 2024, according to regional power grid opera- tor ISO New England, it's this reliability that allows hydro to play a critical role in complementing less-reliable sources like wind or solar, which require specific environmental conditions to be able to generate electricity. "Most conventional hydropower, when most people think of it, is what they would call run-of-the-river, which is simply water flows down river, goes through the station, and then keeps going," Kibbe said. "Reservoir storage means we can actually store the water as it flows down river, and then dispatch the generation when the highest de- mand periods are." Great River has 104 employees across its facilities. e company has both union and non-union employees, with its union employees including electri- cians, mechanics, and technicians. e employees "have been with these assets for a long time, so they really take a lot of pride in them," said Mike Carroll, maintenance manager at Great River's Deerfield River sites. "It's very helpful to have people who work in an area that really care." Powering the future While newer green energy technol- ogy has been subject to skepticism and scrutiny from the President Donald Trump Administration, hydropower's long-standing history and infrastructure in the county has allowed it thus far to avoid being lumped in with wind and solar. Hydropower was included in a list of domestic energy resources which the admin- istration outlined in an April execu- tive order seeking to li regulatory burdens on developing American-based energy sources. "Hydropower, compared to other renewable resources, isn't as challenging for the current administration," said Al- ison Magoon, senior program manager on the Net Zero Grid Team at Massa- chusetts Clean Energy Center. "What I don't think the hydropower industry has seen, though, is significant com- mitments from this administration to funding. ey haven't necessarily seen cuts, but they haven't necessarily seen all of the hope they might be looking for." More than 115 years aer Vernon Station first began powering manufac- turing sites in Central Massachusetts, the state continues to see hydropower as an important resource. Earlier in 2025, MassCEC awarded Great River $93,000 to help it embark on a study to mod- ernize and rehabilitate its five power stations on the Deerfield River. e dams "have been here for over 100 years," O'Dea, CEO of Great River, said. "We want to set them up for the next 50 years. So what does that mean in terms of how we spend the capital investment? at's what this study is allowing us to do. It might be putting in different types of units that could be more efficient or that could increase the output. Given the age of the units, we want to step back to evaluate which path we want to go." Sometimes moderniza- tion can be as straightforward as replacing parts like turbines with new models, said Sarah Cullinan, senior director of the Net Zero Grid Program at MassCEC. Other ways to maximize production and minimize negative impacts include new lubricating oils, which are safer for the surrounding environment. Fish ladders, key in preventing dams from blocking migration, can be updated in ways beneficial for the fish and dam operators. "Newer methods of fish passage don't require as much downtime for the facility, so you get increased generation," Cullinan said. Sarah Cullinan, senior director of the Net Zero Grid Program at MassCEC Alison Magoon, senior program manager on the Net Zero Grid Team at MassCEC Great River operates 13 dams along the Connecticut and Greenfield rivers, some of which are more than 100 years old. GRAPHIC | COURTESY OF GREAT RIVER HYDRO W

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