See the reactions to my Sunday column1, I thought for a moment that I had returned to the United States and that I heard a crowd of Republicans chanting: “Drill, baby, drill! every time we talked about energy.
Because, in the Republican imagination, it is enough to drill to find oil and that is the solution to all the problems of energy consumption, whether for lighting, heating or moving around. There is no shortage, only environmentalists and leftists who, for obscure reasons, would be afraid to drill for more oil. Hence the slogan “Drill, baby, drill!” »
In Quebec, it’s a bit the same thing when it comes to energy saving. For some, it can only be a joke since it is enough to build more dams to have an inexhaustible supply of clean and renewable energy.
The problem is that this is no longer possible. There are very few rivers left that have interesting potential for hydroelectric development. They are further and further away from electricity consumers and the work, as a result, will cost more and more.
The tide on this issue began to turn shortly after the election of Jacques Parizeau in 1994 when he announced the abandonment of the Grande-Baleine project, phase two of the James Bay complex which Robert Bourassa had given fire to. green.
Mr. Parizeau cited two reasons. First, the opposition of the natives and the explosion of the costs which had passed from a forecast of 7 billion dollars to 14 billion. With costs doubling even before work began, it was clear that the profitability of the project was no longer guaranteed.
Anyway, the project was pharaonic. We were talking about a reservoir – therefore submerged land – having more than twice the surface area of Lac Saint-Jean. It is difficult to claim that this development would have had little effect on the lives of the natives who live in the region. Especially since the other James Bay facilities currently require the flooding of nearly 10,000 square km.
In this regard, it should be noted that the territory of Quebec is relatively flat. This means that if we want to create sufficient reservoirs to ensure that the power stations operate all year round, very large areas have to be flooded. What was still possible half a century ago, but today is unthinkable for reasons of social acceptability, not to mention the damage to the environment.
The Crees immediately understood that all of these elements could work in their favour. They therefore targeted American public opinion since a considerable part of the electricity produced at Grande-Baleine was intended for the American market. Their campaign – including the arrival of chef Matthew Coon Come down the Hudson in a canoe to arrive in New York – worked very well.
But many people tend to believe that native claims are a thing of the past. That aboriginal peoples now benefit from major Hydro-Québec projects. Or that everything was settled by the Peace of the Braves. Except that the Paix des Braves is an agreement with the only Cree nation. There are 10 other aboriginal nations in Quebec.
With the development of La Romaine ending on the North Shore, there are few obvious projects in the pipeline. There are essentially two rivers on the Lower North Shore: the Petit Mécatina River and the Magpie River.
In both cases, the Innu are categorically opposed to any development and, for the Magpie, their opposition is shared by the elected officials of the MRC of Minganie.
Finally, there is the possibility of collaborating with Newfoundland on projects like Gull Island in Labrador, but for that it would be necessary to settle the old dispute concerning the electricity produced in Churchill Falls, which Hydro-Québec buys at a ridiculous price. – one-fifth of a cent per kilowatt hour – based on a contract that expires in 2041.
The dispute is so old and so deep that there is little chance that we will be able to collaborate on other projects before settling that of Churchill Falls even if the Legault government recognizes that “2041 is tomorrow” and that need to start negotiating.
But, in the meantime, everything seems to indicate that the Legault government has made its nest and that it will order shortly to begin studies for new power plants. Energy conservation programs do not appear to be among his priorities, if we are to believe both the Prime Minister’s statements and those of his Minister of Energy.
However, Jacques Parizeau was one of the first to understand that producing a kilowatt hour was going to cost more than saving a kilowatt hour. It was little talked about at the time and today, obviously, many remain to be convinced.