Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon argues that companies are right to be concerned about their electricity supply.
“You’re right. There are 23,000 megawatts (MW) of requests. So at the moment we don’t have that capacity. So you have to make a decision,” he said Thursday on the sidelines of the forum on digitizing the energy industry of the Quebec Electrical Industry Association.
This situation is forcing the government to make smart decisions when allocating our electricity, he added. “It’s not for everyone,” he says.
When asked if this situation is worrying, the minister replies: “We can worry, but it is the reality”.
industry concerns
Last week, Le Journal highlighted the concerns of key players in the construction industry about Quebec’s ability to meet the expectations of major investors.
“Will we have electricity for our projects? And if so, for how long and at what cost?” Broccolini Group CEO Roger Plamondon wondered aloud.
Les Affaires also revealed expressions of feelings of dissatisfaction among management at companies in Quebec’s industrial sector. Delayed projects, difficulties in “selling Quebec”… Some bemoaned the “lack of predictability” and the “climate of uncertainty” of their electricity supply.
In mid-February, Le Journal reported that industrial power demand, which had been declining since 2006, had boomed over the past 18 months.
“What changes [c’est] that industrial players want to decarbonize. And also the power grids, especially those still powered by coal,” explained Hydro-Quebec spokesman Maxence Huard-Lefebvre.
A 1500 megawatt call
On Thursday, Québec’s Minister of Commerce used his appearance before members of the energy industry to announce a new tender for 1,500 megawatts of wind energy in numerous regions.
The minister pointed out that Quebec plans to quadruple the number of megawatts installed in wind power by 2040.
On Wednesday, Hydro-Québec announced the seven wind farm projects selected from two tenders launched in December 2021.
The first was for a 480 megawatt (MW) unit from renewable sources. The second, a block of 300 MW, specifically from a wind well.