Wind Power News: Quebec
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Why cheap wind power is making Quebec’s big, old dams more valuable as a ‘battery,’ say experts
You might think that what with having Canada’s largest hydroelectric capacity, providing almost 100 per cent of the its electricity, including exports, a new $600-million wind power project is the last thing Quebec would need. That was exactly what experts were saying when Premier François Legault cancelled Apuiat, a private but government-supported wind project in Northern Quebec in 2018. But now as the province relaunches the project, power experts say an investment in wind will actually increase the value of . . . Complete story »
Legault reverses course on Apuiat wind farm, calls it a ‘win, win, win’
QUEBEC – Quebec’s energy future no longer depends on building more hydro dams, Premier François Legault said Thursday in announcing the return of a $600-million wind power farm on Quebec’s north shore, which he himself cancelled in 2018. It’s just the beginning, Legault said, noting wind power projects have evolved to a point where they make more financial sense than costly dams and are part of Quebec’s plan to shift away from oil. Asked by a reporter at a virtual news . . . Complete story »
François Legault puts the brakes on $600M Apuiat wind-farm project
QUEBEC CITY – Premier François Legault has scuttled the $600-million Apuiat wind farm project near Port Cartier on the North Shore, at least until Hydro-Québec has sold its surplus inventory. Legault made the announcement Thursday night after meeting for nearly two hours with Innu leaders in the offices of the Department of Energy and Natural Resources. The announcement put an end to several months of controversy, with critics having urged the newly elected premier to reconsider his position. “There will be . . . Complete story »
CAQ government looking to abandon $600M wind farm on Quebec’s North Shore
The Quebec government wants out of the contentious Apuiat wind farm project and has tapped Hydro-Québec to come up with an exit strategy, Radio-Canada has learned. The Apuiat project, first proposed in 2015, is to produce an estimated 200 megawatts annually from about 50 wind turbines on Quebec’s North Shore, near the town of Port-Cartier. Backed by the former Liberal government, the $600-million project was highly criticized by the CAQ’s François Legault during the election campaign. “We’re not going to . . . Complete story »
CAQ government mulls future of Apuiat wind-farm proposal
QUEBEC – The Coalition Avenir Québec government has asked Hydro-Québec to come up with a possible Plan B to replace the Apuiat wind farm project near Port Cartier on Quebec’s North Shore. But the partners in the project, wind power giant Boralex and the Innu Nation, are furious, saying the new government did not give them a chance to explain the plan before moving to put it on ice. They say if the government does kill it, Quebec will be missing . . . Complete story »
Hydro-Québec reaches draft agreement to buy energy from Apuiat wind farm
Hydro-Québec announced Wednesday it has concluded a draft contract with promoters of the 200-megawatt Apuiat wind turbine project. But “out of respect for their respective governance procedures,” Hydro said the two sides have agreed to suspend the process leading to the signature of a final agreement until after the Quebec election. The commercial elements of the proposed contract were not disclosed and a Hydro-Québec spokesperson said the utility had nothing to say beyond its news release. The Apuiat project would . . . Complete story »
Wind turbine project on Quebec’s North Shore quickly spiralling into an election issue
A Quebec wind farm project – under negotiation since 2015 – is quickly becoming a contentious political issue, in the days leading up to the official start of the provincial election. Members of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) have panned the Liberal Party’s plan to construct some 50 wind turbines near the town of Port-Cartier, in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region. The Apuiat project would produce an estimated 400 megawatts annually in partnership with the private renewable energy firm, Boralex, and it’s being developed . . . Complete story »
Is wind power blowing holes in Hydro-Québec’s profits?
On the eve of an election call, Quebec’s main party leaders have gone to battle over a wind-power project that Liberal Premier Philippe Couillard argues is crucial to good relations with First Nations but that François Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec calls “useless” and “ruinous.” The head of Hydro-Québec, which would purchase all of the power from the 200-megawatt Apuiat wind-energy development on Quebec’s remote North Shore, has warned that the project would cause losses of between $1.5-billion and $2-billion for . . . Complete story »
Wind farm project on Quebec’s North Shore divides government, Hydro Quebec
A wind farm project planned for the North Shore of Quebec is putting the provincial government at odds with Hydro Quebec. The Innu first nation that lives in the region between Baie Comeau and Sept Iles has been promoting the Apuiat wind turbine project for several years. The $600 million, 200 MW wind farm was first proposed three years ago as part of Hydro Quebec’s 2006-2015 plan to increase renewable energy capacity by 4,000 MW. Its supporters say the Apuiat project would . . . Complete story »
Border Water Co. about to lose say over Holland wind turbine
HOLLAND – Officials with a border-straddling water company serving Derby Line and Stanstead, Quebec, wanted to have a say over the siting of a large wind turbine on a dairy farm in Holland. But a Vermont utility regulator says the company still has to follow the rules when it comes to the review of wind projects. If they don’t, they can’t participate. That’s the gist of an order issued to International Water Company by Thomas Knauer, hearing officer for the Vermont . . . Complete story »
