CABOT
OperatingHydro power plant
- Capacity
- 62 MW
- Primary fuel
- Hydro
- County
- Franklin County
- Operator
- FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES, INC. - MA
- Status
- Operating
- Commissioned
- 1915
- EIA plant ID
- 1629
- Generators
- 6
- Technology
- Conventional Hydroelectric
- Net generation (2024)
- 304 GWh
- Capacity factor (2024, EIA nameplate)
- 56%
- Data vintage
- EIA-860 2024 final; EIA-923 2022-2024 final
- Coordinates
- 42.5876, -72.5791
CABOT, a 62 MW Hydro power plant in Franklin County, Massachusetts. Operated by FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES, INC. - MA, commissioned 1915.
How CABOT compares
With 62 MW of capacity, CABOT ranks 26th among the 125 operating power plants Bywatts maps in Massachusetts and 3rd of the 27 operating Hydro plants in the state. It accounts for about 3.4% of Massachusetts's operating Hydro capacity and 0.7% of all operating capacity in the state. Nationally it is the 247th-largest of the 1,243 operating Hydro plants in the database. Commissioned in 1915, it is older than 93% of the 122 operating Massachusetts plants with a recorded commissioning year. Its operator, FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES, INC. - MA, runs 4 operating plants in Massachusetts totaling 1,009 MW. It shares Franklin County with 9 other operating plants, including NORTHFIELD MOUNTAIN and SHERMAN.
EIA-860 lists 6 generators at the site with 62 MW of nameplate capacity, all conventional hydroelectric technology. Net generation was 304 GWh in 2024 (a 56% capacity factor), up 8% from 2022. Its generators came online between 1915 and 1917.
Grid neighborhood
The nearest named substation is NORTHFIELD (345 kV), about 5.9 miles away; the closest transmission line found within 10 miles is a 115 kV line, under 0.1 miles away. Another 16 operating power plants totaling 1,679 MW sit within 25 miles; the largest is NORTHFIELD MOUNTAIN (940 MW, Hydro).
Computed by Bywatts from HIFLD power plant, substation and transmission line records and EIA-860/923 survey data; distances are straight-line. Sources and methodology
Weather peril exposure
CABOT is a 62 MW hydro power plant in Franklin County, MA, operated by FIRSTLIGHT POWER RESOURCES, INC. - MA, commissioned in 1915. Franklin County carries low modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 1.4 of 5 at the 11th national percentile. Lightning is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 81st percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to a hydro plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Franklin County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 24.1 |
| Ice storm | Relatively Moderate | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 1.8 |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 0.08 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 75th | 4.0 of 5 | 1.6 |
| Winter weather | Relatively Low | 49th | 3.0 of 5 | 19.8 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 47th | 2.9 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Moderate | 38th | 2.5 of 5 | 1.4 |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 31st | 2.2 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 27th | 2.1 of 5 | 0.18 |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 8th | 1.3 of 5 | 3.0 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 6th | 1.2 of 5 | 3.5 |
Perils not assessed in Franklin County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Franklin County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.