Hydro-Québec has decided to regain control of wind development, entrusted until now to private developers.
The objective is to develop larger and more cost-effective projects to meet Quebec’s growing energy needs. “We can no longer develop small projects here and there as we have been doing,” explained the CEO of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, during a press meeting.
This is a major shift for Hydro-Québec, which will leave less space for private wind developers, and which aroused more and more opposition in the communities where they wanted to set up. The state-owned company intends to plan wind development, reach agreements with municipalities and First Nations communities and be the project manager and shareholder of future projects.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, THE PRESS
“We can no longer develop small projects here and there as we have been doing,” explained the CEO of Hydro-Québec, Michael Sabia, during a press meeting.
These projects will be larger, of the order of 1000 megawatts and more, and will be located far from inhabited areas. The cost of these wind supplies should be lower for Hydro-Québec, compared to the current call for tenders model, indicated Michael Sabia. The expected economies of scale are of the order of 20%, at least, according to him, which will reduce pressure on electricity prices.
Hydro-Québec’s objective is also to move faster, by becoming “a locomotive” for wind power. The state company wants to add 10,000 megawatts of wind energy in ten years, while Quebec took twenty years to develop only 4,000 megawatts.
“The status quo is not going to work for the future,” according to Michael Sabia, who says he has heard the discontent of Quebecers about the wind development already carried out. He believes that Hydro-Québec is better placed than private developers to obtain social acceptability and community participation in future development.
“Small wind farms left and right are not going to give us a robust energy system within ten years.”