Hydro-Québec, Canada’s biggest producer of hydroelectricity, has struck partnership agreements with two Indigenous communities and a regional county government to develop wind power over the Chamouchouane zone, west of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press
Hydro-Québec has announced plans to develop its first mega wind farm over a vast territory to the west of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean as it pushes forward with an aggressive clean-energy strategy under chief executive officer Michael Sabia.
The provincial Crown corporation, Canada’s biggest producer of hydroelectricity, said Wednesday it has struck partnership agreements with two Indigenous communities and a regional county government to develop wind power over a 5,000-square-kilometre parcel of land known as the Chamouchouane zone. Total investment in the endeavour could be in the range of $9-billion, the utility said in a statement.
Work will begin next month to install data collection equipment with the goal of launching an initial wind project for the area, Hydro-Québec said. The utility said the zone has the potential to host up to 3,000 megawatts of wind power capacity and several wind farms, which would make it one of the biggest wind power sites in North America.
“With our local partners, we will embark on a common and collaborative process that will have benefits for all of Quebec,” Mr. Sabia said in the statement. “Together, we’ll lay the foundations for well-planned and co-ordinated wind development.”
Mr. Sabia is lining up partners and financial backers as he carries out a $185-billion strategy for new energy infrastructure that aims to wean Quebec off fossil fuels. Under the plan, Hydro-Québec would spend up to $110-billion from now until 2035 on new clean-power generation facilities and another $50-billion to improve the reliability of its electrical grid. Additional operating expenses will make up the balance of the estimated spending.
Tripling wind power generation is a key part of the plan. Wind farms have been in place in corners of the province such as the Gaspé peninsula and Quebec City region for years but Mr. Sabia wants to go bigger and faster with their development, and he’s changed Quebec’s tack on how to achieve that.
Until now, much of the province’s wind power has been developed by the private sector, with producers such as Boralex Inc. BLX-T and Kruger Energy carrying out small to medium-sized projects in response to tenders launched by Hydro-Québec as buyer of the electricity. Mr. Sabia unveiled a new approach in late May stating that Hydro-Québec would assume control of all new wind power projects bigger than 1,000 megawatts, and strike income-sharing partnerships with First Nations communities and other stakeholders to get them done.
Projects of scale are necessary to achieve economies of scale in construction costs, Mr. Sabia has said. The new development model should also help achieve social acceptability. Each new wind power site is expected to host hundreds of wind turbines – development on a scale that is rare if not unprecedented in Canada.
Based on recent wind power projects announced in Quebec, notably the Des Neiges development, the Chamouchouane zone could see as many as 600 wind tower turbines in place. Turbines have grown in size in recent decades and the biggest onshore tower now tops 98 metres from the ground to the centre of the rotor, higher than the Statue of Liberty.
Hydro-Québec has cemented partnerships for the Chamouchouane zone development with the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation, the Wemotaci Atikamekw, and the MRC Domaine-du-Roy regional government. Each of the partners will help shape wind projects in the zone and also become shareholders in them, according to the information made public Wednesday.
“This partnership represents not only a significant economic opportunity for our community but also an important contribution to Quebec’s energy transition,” said Viviane Chilton, head of the Atikamekw Council of Wemotaci. “This is a unique opportunity to promote the region’s wind potential while respecting our traditions and our environment.”
“Our communities must be at the heart of large-scale projects such as this,” said Gilbert Dominique, chief of the Pekuakamiulnuatsh First Nation. “This historic partnership represents an important milestone in the lasting relationship that we hope to see develop between First Nations, Hydro-Québec and our partners.”
Chamouchouane is the first of what is expected to be a handful of mega wind farms in the province. Hydro-Québec is also eyeing la Haute-Côte-Nord and the Baie-James regions for future wind development.