Hydro-Quebec to target 4 GW of wind via new mechanism, cancels current plans

Hydro-Quebec will cancel a couple of calls for renewable energy tenders that were supposed to be launched by the end of the year and instead will focus on creating a procurement strategy with a new mechanism targeting the development of over 4 GW of wind power in favourable areas.

The government-owned public utility said so on Monday after Pierre Fitzgibbon, Quebec’s Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, mandated the company to drop the auctions for 1 GW of wind energy and 1.3 GW of renewable energy in their current form. The minister wants Hydro-Quebec to come up with a plan for the optimisation of the development of wind power supplies by 2030 so that areas with available network capacity or with opportunities for quick upgrades are identified and prioritised.

The company said separately that the new procurement strategy will ensure the participation of industry partners and local communities. It also noted that the energy supplies provided for in the canceled tender calls will be covered in full by the new mechanism. A procurement process will be launched in the coming months, offering higher volumes than what was planned for previously. Its terms and conditions should be announced in the near future, the utility noted.

Recent forecasts by Hydro-Quebec indicated that electricity demand in the Canadian province will increase by 25 TWh over the next 10 years.

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