The new boss of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, is reshuffling the cards a little at the senior management of the state-owned company and giving more responsibilities to two leaders.
Claudine Bouchard thus adds the operation of the Hydro-Québec network to her responsibilities. As Head of Infrastructure and Energy System, she was responsible for the design and management of the energy system, a role she will continue to fulfill.
The grouping of these “complementary activities within the same group will make it possible to simultaneously increase the energy production that Quebec needs and improve electrical service to customers,” we can read in an internal communication. sent to employees Friday morning.
The vice-president of integrated planning of energy needs and risks, Dave Rhéaume, also sees his responsibilities reinforced. He will also take care of customer experience, energy efficiency, and pricing.
The change will be effective from October 2.
The announcement comes on the heels of several departures within senior management at Hydro-Québec in recent months.
Mr. Sabia has been in office since the beginning of August. He replaces Sophie Brochu who left her position in April.
The president of the board of directors, Jacinthe Côté, also left office at the end of her mandate in May. In February, Hydro-Québec’s executive vice-president and chief operating officer, Éric Filion, accepted a position at Bombardier.
The former executive vice-president of strategy and development, Pierre Despars, resigned in June even though he was acting as Mme Brochu and Mr. Sabia, forcing a second interim provided by the head of the financial department, Jean-Hugues Lafleur.
Hydro-Québec must take up the challenge of considerably increasing electricity production at a time when it anticipates the end of surpluses around 2027. In March 2022, it estimated that it would take 100 terawatt hours (TWh) to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050.
In recent months, the Minister of Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, has stated on more than one occasion that this target would be significantly higher; the figure of 200 TWh has already been mentioned.