The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources made the announcement Wednesday morning in a press release.
Details of the implementation of this call for bids have not been specified.
Quebec states that public entities such as MRC Where the municipalities will participate up to about 50%
The proposed projects during the call for tenders period, while the other half will be handled by a private partner.
The decree also stipulates that 60% of the total expenditure be allocated to the purchase of Quebec content.
It is also expected that 35% of the total expenditures related to the selected project will be made during the bidding process In the MRC Where the project is located or in MRC From La Matanie or in the region of Gaspésie-les-de-la-Madeleine
.
More than one-third of the total expenditures related to the project selected by Hydro-Québec must be carried out at the MRC where the project will be located, at the MRC in La Matane or in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region. (Archives)
Photo: Radio Canada/Luke Paradis
The contract with Hydro-Québec must guarantee a long-term power supply, ie over a period of 30 years.
Another call for bids must be launched by Hydro-Québec to award an additional 480 MW for one or more projects to produce power from any renewable energy source.
Quebec notes, again in a press release, that this new energy supply They are required in the context of developing new markets, such as greenhouses and electric vehicles.
The government estimates that by 2029 the need for additional energy will rise At least 1400 MW and 1.5 TWh
. It indicates that a large part of these needs It will be dedicated specifically to wind energy
.
The wind farms in Quebec contracted with Hydro-Quebec have a capacity of 4,000 MW.
Eastern Alliance hopes to win the bid
For the President of the Régie intermunicipale de l’énergie du Bas-Saint-Laurent, Michel Lagacé, the announcement of this call for bids is Excellent news and […] Everything has been shaping up in the past few months for this to happen.
He believes that the new CEO of Hydro-Québec, Sophie Brochu is more open than her predecessors to wind energy. It’s a new wind
, he argues.
Michel Lagas is optimistic that the project to be presented by the region will be accepted by Hydro-Québec.
We have very good wind farms. Transportation lines are nearby. We have developed experience. […] We are able to promote social acceptance.
According to the president of the Régie intermunicipale de l’énergie du Bas-Saint-Laurent, a project that could be deployed in the territory of MRC From Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup and Témiscouata can be offered by the Eastern Wind Alliance, in partnership with MRC de Montmagni and Lislet.
If the alliance wins the tender, wind turbines can be built to supply 300 of 1,200 MW of wind power development project planned in this region هذه.
This alliance brings together the energy boards of the municipalities of Bas-Saint-Laurent and Gaspésie-les-de-la-Madeleine.
The Nicolas-Riou wind farm, located in the MRC des Basques, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, generates 224 megawatts of power. This project received a call for bids launched by Hydro-Québec in 2013. (Archive)
Photo: Radio Canada/Marie Kristen Rio
According to Michele Lagasse, coalition wind farms already generate 300 megawatts of energy and provide significant benefits to them. MRC who participate in their financing.
For his part, the President of the Régie intermunicipale de l’énergie de la Gaspésie et des les-de-la-Madeleine, Simone Dechene, believes that this call for bids is only the beginning of energy development. the coming years.
It will be up to us, the Eastern Alliance, to position ourselves well and share on an equal footing with private producers.
The Federation of Quebec Municipalities (FQM) also published a press release Wednesday morning welcoming this announcement of the upcoming launch of the call for bids by Hydro-Quebec.
Being a stakeholder in the sustainable use of our natural resources and being able to harness their direct benefits has always been a primary goal of our members. Today, the government is taking another step in this direction, and FQM will take the necessary steps and support its members to ensure the maximum participation of 50% of the communities in the projects on its territory.
, he said, still in a press release, chief FQMJack Demers.
Possible relaunch of the Marmen power plant?
The MP for Matin Matabidia, Pascal Biroby, also believes that the announcement of this call for bids is good news for the region.
However, he remains concerned about the future of jobs at the Marmen Énergie factory in Matane.
This factory usually makes wind towers but the management It suspended its activities for “at least six months.”“, as of July, due to the significant impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on business volumes. 70 or so workers have been laid off.
What interests me is the future of the Marmen plant in Matane, which needs decades, but also we have wind farms that bring all the rural municipalities in the area.
, says Pascal Biroby.
According to the deputy, Marmen Énergie intends to resume its activities at the Matane plant.
The Marmen plant in Matane normally produces wind towers, but has suspended operations for 6 months. (Archives)
Photo: Radio Canada
As the user believes that MRC It was possible to add de La Matapédia to the list of target areas for expenditures related to this wind project.
We could have added this MRC To the administrative district of Gaspésie and to MRC From La Matanie because it is now in MRC From La Matapédia, this is the case of the RPF, which operates in wind power and which finds itself a few kilometers from MRC Who is in the target area?
, he argues.
Marmen Énergie has not responded to our interview requests at the time of this post.