The restart of the Saint-Narcisse hydroelectric power station may not be as distant as one might think. In fact, by the end of the month, experts mandated by the Municipality of Saint-Narcisse and the MRC des Chenaux will visit Hydro-Québec facilities. And depending on the nature of the work to be done, the prefect of the MRC and mayor of Saint-Narcisse, Guy Veillette, believes it is possible to restart the power plant in the near future.
Obviously, everything will depend on the diagnosis that follows the visit.
“We are going to ask for in-depth studies. We will have to see the wear of the concrete, the turbines, the control panels, the transformer station, the distribution station… These are the elements which must be clarified,” lists Mr. Veillette.
The latter believes that the extent of the investments to be made will be known at the beginning of fall at the latest.
“It gives us time to assess the costs and make a financing plan. But depending on the nature of the work to be carried out, it could go quickly. We will see different scenarios, but there could be a rapid restart, with a single turbine, for example, and we add more gradually,” suggests the prefect.
Remember that Hydro-Québec estimated the cost of repairing the Saint-Narcisse power station at $180 million. Mr. Veillette, however, always questioned this number.
The hydroelectric development was commissioned in 1926 and has an installed capacity of 15 megawatts (MW). It has been stopped since 2018.
Another unknown also slows down Guy Veillette’s enthusiasm. In fact, the law does not currently allow Hydro-Québec to sell its installations to a private party and then buy power from them.
“We are still waiting for a regulatory outcome. But the opinion of Hydro-Québec is still favorable to us and the Minister of the Economy, Innovation and Energy must review the law,” recalls Mr. Veillette.
Indeed, Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced earlier this year his intention to modernize the law to leave a place for private companies in electricity production. It remains to be seen when this modernization will be completed.
While waiting for the legislative framework to allow the project to move forward, and for the scale of the necessary investments to be known, the MRC and Saint-Narcisse should present for their part the partners with whom they intend to associate to operate the plant. An announcement should be made in May, says Mr. Veillette.