Taking action in support of our vital natural resource sector

Did you know that Quebec is a global leader in renewable energy?! Home to a vast network of lakes and rivers, the province utilizes its freshwater resources to power the lives of millions of Canadians and Americans.

In 2016, for example, Quebec generated 99.8 per cent of its electricity from renewables, with hydro accounting for 95.2 per cent of that generation. Wind and biomass also contribute to Quebec’s power grid, but clearly not on the same massive scale as hydro.

Hydropower in Quebec has a long and rich history beginning several decades ago; today the provincial utility operator Hydro-Quebec is the largest in Canada. Quebec plays an integral role in producing the electricity exports sent to the U.S., which helps prevent the release of millions of tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere each year by displacing dirtier forms of power generation.

Quebec’s continued leadership in providing renewably generated electricity to North American customers is something we can all be proud of.

But wait, there are more great facts on renewable energy in Quebec we’d like to share with you! Check them out below, and be sure to also see:

• Renewable Energy in Canada: 75+ Facts
• How Fossil Fuels Make Renewable Energy Possible
• Renewable Energy in British Columbia: 15 Facts

Québec Renewable Energy Facts

1. Hydropower generates 94 per cent of Québec’s electricity. The province has over 40,850 megawatts (MW) of installed hydroelectric capacity. (CER)

2. Québec is the largest electricity producer in Canada, with an estimated capacity of 46,380 MW in 2019. (CER)

3. The Robert-Bourassa hydroelectric facility in northern Québec is the largest underground generating station in the world. (Hydro-Québec)

4. Hydro-Québec generates nearly all of the province’s electricity supply via 63 hydropower generating stations and 28 reservoirs. (Hydro-Québec)

5. Hydro-Québec has a system of 34,802 km of transmission lines and 225,304 km of distribution lines. (CER)

6. Québec is Canada’s third-largest renewable natural gas (RNG) producing province with nearly 15 RNG sites. (GNR Québec Capital)

7. The City of Saint-Hyacinthe’s biomethanization project has an annual RNG production capacity of roughly 13 million cubic meters per year. (CER)

8. Bioenergy accounted for 10 per cent of the end-use demand in Québec in 2019. (CER)

9. Renewable energy accounted for nearly half of Quebec’s total end-use fuel demand in 2019. (CER)

10. Quebec’s goal is to increase bioenergy production by 50 per cent in the next 8 years. (Gouvernement du Québec - GDQ)

11. Québec plans to build one of the largest green hydrogen plants in the world. The plant is expected to produce 11,100 metric tons of green hydrogen (Hydro-Québec)

12. Wind energy is the second largest source of electricity generation in Québec. It supplied approximately 5 per cent of the province’s total electricity generation in 2019. (CER)

13. The development of Québec’s wind energy industry began in 1998 with the Le Nordais project in the Gaspésie region. (GDQ)

14. As of 2021, there are 45 windfarms projects completed or under construction in Québec. (GDQ)

15. More than 170,000 homes have geothermal systems to heat and cool their homes in Québec. (Tran Climatisation)

Quebec’s Renewable Energy Goals

Wind Farm, Gaspesie Coastline, Quebec

Much like most other Canadian provinces and territories, renewable energy capacity in Quebec is expected to grow alongside its ambitious hydro, wind and biofuel goals over the next several years.

For example. Québec set a goal of having 1.5 million light-duty electric vehicles on its roads by 2030, representing roughly 30 per cent of all light-duty traffic. Also previously mentioned is its goal to increase its bioenergy production 50 per cent by 2030.

Quebec’s record on renewable energy is world-class! And, with the continued development of new hydro capacity, the province has many opportunities to provide Americans with even more renewably generated electricity – reducing greenhouse gas emissions and taking action on climate!

The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) transmission line from Quebec to Queens will supply New York with ~20 per cent of its annual electricity needs. CHPE is an excellent example of why the world needs more Canadian electricity, oil, natural gas, and everything else in between!

Join Us Today!

Learn more about renewables in Quebec and other parts of Canada by joining us online at Twitter, Instagram and Facebook today – we hope to see you there!