This highly hoped-for carbon-neutral Quebec that we are promised for 2050 poses an incredible transparency challenge to our elected officials and decision-makers. This is because we know very little about the path that will lead us to the green valleys of a carbon-free Quebec. We saw snow: we guess that this path will be strewn with pitfalls and that it will cost us a lot to tread it without deviating from our course. But we do not know to what extent and at what cost. If we collectively do not want to get bogged down, these unknowns in the equation must be clarified.
For now, it is almost an act of faith that Hydro-Québec is asking of us with its ambitious plan “Towards a carbon-free and prosperous Quebec”, which plans unprecedented investments of $155 to $185 billion by 2035. The momentum is titanic, to the point of surpassing in importance the frenzy of the years of James Bay development. To illustrate: it is more or less the equivalent of a REM and a tram every year until 2035 (and undoubtedly beyond). It’s truly dizzying.
The Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, said he was convinced of being able to finance the development of Hydro-Québec. No offense to him, proof that Quebec – which let 22 billion in profits slip away in Luxembourg in ten years – can make such a radical turnaround remains to be done. What should we prioritize? What should we rule out? Who will pay what bill? The debates promise to be heartbreaking. Our society is rich, but it is nonetheless incapable of setting in motion such a revolution without requiring sacrifices from each of us.
The Legault government has already banged its fist on the table: Hydro-Québec will have to draw elsewhere than from the pockets of its residential customers, whose rate increases will be capped at a maximum of 3%. But if the Crown corporation were to decide to dip into its coffers to finance even a part of its great transformation, the taxpayer would end up paying all the same, with Hydro’s profits financing a significant part of our public services. The art of going around in circles.
The President and CEO of Hydro-Québec, for his part, insisted on his desire to go where social accessibility will be there. At the same time, Michael Sabia urged Quebecers to keep an open mind: certain solutions, such as reactivating the nuclear industry, are rightly frightening, but they should nonetheless be considered carefully. We want to carry out the reflection exercise to the end with him, but we hope that this openness will also apply to all the stakeholders concerned, first and foremost the government.
In the formidable bouquet composed by Mr. Sabia, there are means which are only at the bud stage, such as offshore wind power. Certain hybrids are still to be imagined, such as this “pumped reserve power station”. Not to mention the footprint of potential new dams on our rivers and landscapes. Flexibility must be the key word of this immense project which will be transformed as science and technology progress.
We therefore want this mixed improvisation to be agile. Above all, we want it to be consistent. Quebec will have to take the same path as Hydro, and at the same speed, otherwise we will all lose ourselves along the way. The state-owned company may have blazed the trail, but it is not alone at the wheel. Our solo cars, our energy-intensive buildings, our luminous delicacies, our outdated technologies, our prices from another age: many crucial elements are beyond its reach.
There is also a lot of reflection to be done on the virtues of the circular economy and eco-taxation for businesses and individuals alike. Not to mention the labor challenge, which is already giving our builders persistent headaches. In the midst of the housing crisis, the turn promises to be eminently tight and could easily become imprudent.
Our advantageous prices unfortunately allow us to be as lazy as we are spendthrifts. For example, simple insulation and waterproofing measures would allow us to achieve an achievable potential of 11 to 15 TWh in our homes, the Association of Construction and Housing Professionals of Quebec timely reminded us. last week. This is the equivalent of the annual production of 2.5 Romaine dams. A gold mine, documented, measurable, which we can no longer afford to turn our noses up at.
Until now, Quebecers have not really liked being given lessons in energy sobriety by Minister Fitzgibbon. However, we must admit that we must not give up on the hobby horse of developing our energy resources. Let’s keep in mind that the best economy is not the energy we save, but the energy we do not consume (and do not have to produce). Transparency and agility, we said from the outset, but also frugality will be essential to negotiate this vital shift.