New electricity needs could require adding up to 150 TWh to Hydro-Québec’s capacity by 2050, estimates the Minister of Economy and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, who is already considering measures to encourage the public corporation’s subscribers to consume less energy.
Mr. Fitzgibbon said Friday that it will take more than the 100 TWh advanced this week by Prime Minister François Legault in his opening speech.
“The figure is between 100 and 150 TWh,” he said in a press briefing at the National Assembly.
During the election campaign, Mr. Legault had expressed the wish to relaunch the construction of hydroelectric dams to meet demand and eliminate greenhouse gases by 2050. Hydro-Québec will need new supplies from 2027.
The duty reported Friday that Mr. Legault was unaware of the existence of a study, commissioned by his government, indicating that it would take 137 TWh and not 100 TWh additional.
Mr Fitzgibbon explained on Friday that it is still impossible to say exactly how much wind or solar power or hydroelectric plants will need to be added by 2050.
“The stake is not even there, he said. The challenge is in the short term, what do we do? »
In addition to adding wind turbines, the government plans to legislate next year to encourage subscribers to the state-owned company to consume less electricity during peak periods, which total 80 hours per year.
“Companies that want electric current, perhaps we will tell them that the 80 peak hours per year, for peak management, you will not have any electric current, we will lower it”, a- he said.
Residential subscribers could also be called upon in the effort to reduce energy consumption.
“We consumers may have to change our habits,” explained the minister. Wash the dishes, we’ll do it at midnight. »
Capped increases
On Friday, the government tabled a bill to cap Hydro-Quebec’s rate increases.
The legislative text provides that the increases cannot exceed 3%. This clarification follows the adoption by the CAQ government of a bill matching these increases to the inflation rate in 2019.
With this change, presented by Energy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, Hydro-Québec’s rate increases would increase in line with inflation, up to a maximum of 3%.
The CAQ government had already announced its intention to correct the situation in this way. A bill had even been proposed by Mr. Fitzgibbon’s predecessor, Jonatan Julien, but it died on the order paper with the dissolution of the House preceding the election campaign.
The government thus wished to avoid excessive increases for Hydro-Québec subscribers due to the high inflation of recent months.
More details will follow.