While the Legault government is passionate about the battery sector and the promises of electrification, HEC Montréal has issued a serious warning in the 10e edition of theState of energy in Quebec. The book draws lucid observations on energy waste and overconsumption, which must be stopped to make the energy transition a success. For now, we are heading headlong towards failure, in a state of “energy intoxication”, preferably in a solo pick-up.
Let us salute the meticulous work of Pierre-Olivier Pineau, holder of the Chair of Energy Sector Management at HEC Montréal, for producing this gold mine of information on our energy consumption. Pineau and his colleagues are sounding the alarm. Our ambitions and pretensions to green virtue come up against implacable reality. In ten years, the increase in the automobile fleet and the residential, commercial and industrial surface area has led to an increase in energy consumption, a problem swept under the rug by the mirage of electrification.
The calls from the leaders of the Legault government and Hydro-Québec to relaunch the construction of large hydroelectric projects, in order to meet future demand, hide a misnamed waste. Not convinced? According to HEC Montréal’s analysis, approximately half of all energy consumed in Quebec is lost and adds no value to the economy. Quebec is among the world’s largest consumers of energy per capita, not far behind all of Canada and the United States. Our consumption is four times higher than the global average, and it still relies 50% on fossil energy sources.
Despite promises of electrification of the automobile fleet, transport still depends 97% on petroleum products. Since 1990, despite notable improvements in car fuel efficiency, energy consumption in this segment has jumped 41%, and the size of the vehicle fleet has increased 57%. Population growth increased by 23% for the same period. We are increasingly lonely behind the wheel, and our choices carry a heavy energy and environmental footprint. The light truck segment (SUVs, pick-ups and vans) saw its consumption increase by 174%. The number of these light passenger trucks jumped 332%. It has been the sales leader since 2015 in this nation which is not close to a contradiction between its environmental claims and its irremediably individualistic and carefree behavior.
So, let’s think twice when the Minister of the Economy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, comes to vilify all those who ask legitimate questions about the social accessibility of the Northvolt project. Without questioning the usefulness of this battery factory, necessary for the energy transition, let us also demand accountability for the efforts that the government devotes to the fight against waste and the inconsistency of our development choices. In the same vein, let us demand more vision and determination from the State in carrying out major public transport projects and the long-term financing of transport companies.
Until recently, the Transit Alliance proposed a series of measures to alleviate the financial crisis experienced within transport companies. The organization suggested in particular an indexation of the tax on fuel and registration, as well as a rebalancing between the financing of public transport and that of the road network. According to the organization’s analysis, the road network receives 70% of the investments planned in the Quebec Infrastructure Plan, compared to 30% for public transportation.
The data of theState of energy in Quebec support the idea of a major change. Achieving our ambitious climate goals will be out of reach if current trends continue. Electrify the vehicle fleet; it will also be necessary to reduce the number of cars on the roads and encourage active mobility. Pineau is proposing the imposition of taxes on mileage and parking to slow down the growth of the automobile fleet, particularly in the light truck segment. Without an eco-fiscal policy or regulatory restrictions, we will hit a wall. Going all-electric in the transport sector will give us a clear conscience, but it will be accompanied by an increase in demand on the electricity network, not to mention pressure on the road network and resource extraction minerals necessary for the manufacture of batteries.
Our way of life, marked by individualism, will set us back in achieving carbon neutrality (planned for 2050) and protecting the environment if we do not act to improve the provision of public transport and reduce the modal share of solo carpooling. On these essential questions, the Legault government lacks vision, courage and audacity.