Energy bill: “We need to find good ways to increase production,” says Michael Sabia, CEO of Hydro-Québec.

Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon will present his energy bill this week, and in this plan, he will have to be innovative and take all energy sources into account, including nuclear, so that Quebec can produce more while respecting its ambitious goals to decarbonize the province by 2050.

The Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy noted that demand for energy will increase in the coming years as the Quebec government plans to attract more companies.

It's a situation Michael Sabia, president and CEO of Hydro Quebec, says he's aware of.

“We have to find good ways to increase production,” Mr. Sabia emphasized Monday morning, explaining that Bell County will also have to “be better” on the environmental level of energy production.

To increase electricity supply, the Quebec government has, among other things, promoted the discourse of energy sobriety. Moreover, Minister Fitzgibbon had a major impact on the collective imagination by suggesting that Quebecers run their dishwashers at night, outside of peak consumption periods.

However, in its plan, Quebec plans to accelerate projects including wind energy projects in the north of the province or those aimed at reviving nuclear energy.

The results of the study aimed at restarting the Gentilly-2 power plant remain confidential at the moment, but the government's rhetoric has changed significantly regarding this energy source.

“This is something that should not be completely ruled out [comme] Previously,” Charles Emond, president and CEO of the Caisse des Deposits et Deposit du Québec, said last week.

“In the context there is still a shortage of energy in certain places […] “There is some merit in looking at it, but I was saying it in a global way,” he added.

The parliamentary session ends on Friday and the long-awaited energy bill is expected to be tabled by the end of the week.