This text is part of the special Energies notebook
While the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, wishes to table a bill with a view to establishing an energy “mix” in Quebec, experts believe that he is on the wrong track and that his proposal will not make it possible to decarbonize Quebec.
“What he wants is not to decarbonize Quebec, it is to develop an export industry,” believes Bruno Detuncq, retired professor of mechanical engineering at Polytechnique Montréal. The one who “completely disagrees” with the avenue chosen by Quebec believes that this decision aims to favor Northvolt, TES Canada and several other companies. The latter need the development of green energies in order to manufacture components, but also to export part of the profits. “We see it with the Action Plan 2035. Towards a carbon-free and prosperous Quebec of Hydro‑Québec. It is an electrification plan with a very specific goal which is not declared. Mr. Fitzgibbon does not talk about it explicitly. So why do you need more energy? It is not necessarily for the Quebec population,” he accuses.
Enough energy?
Although Quebec has immense hydroelectric dams, does it generate enough energy to meet its consumption requirements? Yes, believes Étienne Guertin, doctoral candidate in modeling energy transitions at Concordia University. He nevertheless concedes that his speech is not dominant among experts and the government. “But there are problems with their vision. We are already living beyond our means, in Quebec in particular. And we cannot replicate the Quebec formula on a global scale,” he explains. He cites as an example the scarcity of materials needed to build solar panels and batteries, such as uranium.
The researcher instead suggests tackling consumption. “We would look at how we can change our demand so as not to need to produce more electricity in the carbon-neutral Quebec of the future,” he believes. This involves in particular the collectivization of services such as transport. “Research shows that we can obtain many more social and environmental benefits. It takes fewer materials, less energy and it benefits more people at a lower cost,” he argues, citing the results of a study published in 2021 in the scientific journal Global Environmental Change.
For his part, Mr. Detuncq believes, however, that Quebec will have to generate more energy in the future. “If we want to completely replace oil and natural gas with electricity from here, we will have to produce more. But if, in addition, we say that we want to develop the export industry at the same time, it is certain that the decarbonization part will not happen,” adds the one who campaigns for more sobriety and energy efficiency .
More electricity, but with what?
To which energies should Quebec turn for a greener future? According to Minister Fitzgibbon, the solution involves nuclear power and natural gas.
But for Mr. Detuncq, nuclear energy should be “completely avoided”. “One of the things we never talk about is the amount of uranium reserves on Earth. We’re going to have to ask ourselves the question before we even start to say that we’re going to need it,” he says. According to the oil company BP, nuclear power corresponds to around 4% of global consumption. “With this quantity of energy, we have enough for 90 years,” calculates Mr. Detuncq, citing data from the World Nuclear Association. And if all countries want to double the quantity of nuclear power in their portfolio, we will halve the number of years. »
For his part, Mr. Guertin underlines the time required for the construction of such power plants. “If we take that into account, it won’t be ready. And it is therefore not possible to decarbonize Quebec in time,” believes the researcher.
As for the suggestion of using renewable natural gas for a greener Quebec, Mr. Detuncq believes that “it is completely absurd. When Minister Fitzgibbon says that, it’s because he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Either he is poorly advised, or he does not listen to his advisors.” According to him, gas manufactured from domestic, agricultural or forestry residues is produced in minimal quantities to meet energy needs. “If we want a lot, we will destroy the forests,” he illustrates.
According to the retired professor, wind turbines can be an attractive option, provided they are not managed by private interests. On Thursday, the Quebec government announced that it was embarking on large-scale wind projects. “It should be up to Hydro-Québec to control this for the benefit of the entire population. It might be time to have them built in the right places, and not on agricultural land, to be able to meet future needs. »
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