Energy
High-voltage expertise
The Québec energy sector boasts a range of renewable energy sources.
The province is now committed to reducing dependence on imported oil by promoting the use of alternative energies.
Strengths
Hydroelectricity
Despite its small population of just under 8 million, Québec is the world’s fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity.
What’s more, the production cost of this clean, renewable resource is among the lowest in North America. The province’s production output already stands at over 47,000 megawatts (MW) per year, with plans in the works to add an extra 4,500 MW in the coming years.
With the launch of Plan Nord
, a large-scale initiative designed to tap into the natural wealth of the northern part of the province, the Québec government has committed to generating an additional 3,500 MW of renewable energy by 2035. Most of this (3,000 MW) is expected to come from hydroelectric facilities.
Wind power
Québec’s wind power potential is as vast as the province itself. In order to capitalize fully on this resource, the provincial government has set itself a target of 4,000 MW of wind power to be incorporated into its power grid by 2015, in keeping with its 2006–2015 energy strategy. Over and above this goal, Plan Nord is already planning to add 300 MW of wind power.
By the end of 2010, the installed capacity of wind power facilities in Québec had climbed to nearly 660 MW.
Bioenergy
Québec is also very active in the bioenergy sector, specifically as it pertains to electricity production. As of January 1, 2010, over 227 MW were already being generated from forestry biomass, and more than 40 MW from biogas. Six new projects totalling 52.9 MW will be rolled out in the coming years.
In terms of biofuels, a first-generation ethanol production plant that produces close to 150 million litres of ethanol a year has been operating in Québec since 2007.
The province is also poised to move into second-generation cellulosic ethanol production, with an industrial research chair on cellulosic ethanol at the Université de Sherbrooke and a pilot project built by Enerkem in Westbury, in the Estrie region.
Québec also produces biodiesel for commercial applications. One plant has been manufacturing 45 million litres of biodiesel a year from animal fats, recycled cooking oil, restaurant grease and other oils since 2005.
Hydrocarbons
The potential for hydrocarbon development in Québec—a relatively underexplored sector until now—is also promising. Sedimentary basins in the Gaspé region, along the St. Lawrence Valley and in the St. Lawrence Estuary and Gulf feature geological formations that are likely to contain oil and natural gas.
These basins cover an area of more than 200,000 km2, or 13% of the province.
Electric vehicles
In April 2011, Québec adopted the 2011–2020 action plan on electric vehicles. Under this plan, a total of $250 million will be earmarked in the coming years for the production and use of electric vehicles as well as the development of industrial applications. The plan calls for:
- a rebate of up to $8,000 on the first-time purchase or lease of a hybrid or electric vehicle;
- a grant for the purchase and installation of a home charging station;
- a total of $95 million in financial aid for the development of industrial applications;
- several initiatives to help reach the goal of using electricity to power 95% of the province’s public transit systems’ trips by 2030.
Energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is the guiding principle behind Québec’s energy strategy and the driving force behind the ambitious targets it has set for the province:
- electricity savings: 11 TWh (target revised upwards in 2011);
- natural gas production: 350 million cubic metres;
- petroleum product savings: 2 million tonnes petroleum equivalent.
Research and innovation
Québec is home to a number of world-renowned energy experts and research centres, including:
- Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ): North America’s largest utility-run research institute;
- Solar Buildings Research Network: A group of Canadian university researchers who have developed the world’s first demonstration project involving an electricity- and heat-generating solar façade;
- Institut de recherche sur l’hydrogène (IRH): a leader in hydrogen production and storage.
