Premier Legault and delegates inaugurate Romaine hydro complicated

Article content material

HAVRE-SAINT-PIERRE — With former premier Jean Charest available to see the completion of a mission he helped launch in 2009, Quebec inaugurated the huge Romaine Complicated hydro growth mission, which is meant to supply Quebecers energy for the subsequent 100 years.

At an occasion held on the web site itself on Quebec’s north shore Thursday, Premier François Legault and different dignitaries joined forces to kick the mission — which has been producing energy since 2022 — into gear in an official manner.

Article content material

Article content material

The occasion was attended by most of the hundreds of employees who toiled within the north to make it occur. They stood in exhausting hats and work gear whereas the dignitaries in fits spoke. Earlier, they gathered for a bunch photograph beneath the huge Romaine 1 dam to mark the occasion.

“I’m proud to inaugurate the installations of the Romaine, the most important hydroelectric complicated since James Bay and a logo of our nation’s engineering,” Legault mentioned in remarks. “It’s a vital mission for our power future, which can reply to our industrial wants for 100 years.”

With a manufacturing capability of 1,550 megawatts or eight TWh a yr — sufficient energy to produce 470,000 houses — the mission value a complete of $7.4 billion to construct. That quantities to six.4 cents a kilowatt hour, a extremely aggressive fee on hydro markets.

The mission was launched in 2009 whereas Charest was premier. He was invited to the ceremony, with Legault mentioning him first in his remarks.

“It’s not straightforward to launch initiatives, so I say earlier than everybody to you, bravo, bravo,” Legault mentioned.

Legault additionally praised different politicians who occupied the premier’s chair and had about the identical hydroelectric imaginative and prescient: Jean Lesage, René Lévesque, Robert Bourassa.

Article content material

Article content material

“After we launch hydro initiatives, and Robert Bourassa can attest to this, there’s at all times a destructive response,” Legault mentioned. “You made the best decisions.”

Launched in 2009 when the Liberals had been in energy, the mission consists of 4 dams, reservoirs and producing stations strung in a row alongside the Romaine River, which is on Quebec’s north shore of the St. Lawrence, north of Havre-Saint-Pierre.

The primary a part of the mission, Romaine 2, went on line in 2014. Romaine 4, the final a part of the mission, began producing energy in 2022. The reservoirs alone cowl a complete of 279 sq. kilometres.

Legault talked about the mission was constructed with the co-operation of the Innu, who benefitted economically, a components he says he wish to see used sooner or later. Legault has mentioned previously he wish to see Quebec develop 4 or 5 extra hydro dam initiatives.

“Hydro-electrical energy is win, win for each our nations,” Legault mentioned.

At its peak, 1,000 employees had been energetic on the positioning. There was additionally a hush when Legault talked about the 4 employees who died in the course of the 13-year building part of the mission.

The inauguration comes as Quebec steps up efforts to seek out new sources of fresh energy whereas it slowly tries to wean itself off fossil fuels.

Hydro-Québec estimates Quebec won’t have sufficient energy manufacturing capability beginning in 2027. By then the province might want to add an extra 100 terawatts (TWh) to the grid — a 50-per-cent improve — to achieve the acknowledged purpose of carbon neutrality by 2050.

Hydro’s present capability is 210 TWh a yr.

Legault repeated that he sees hydro electrical energy as the best choice for the long run as a result of whereas enticing, turbine wind energy is intermittent.

[email protected]

twitter.com/philipauthier

Article content material

Article content material