The world's second largest wind farm will be built in Quebec

In Quebec, the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region, located in the north of the province, is known for its fjord, forests and blueberries. It should be very close to Megapark Wind energy: On Wednesday, July 3, Hydro-Québec, Quebec’s public electricity producer and supplier, announced that it had reached an agreement with indigenous communities and municipalities. With a capacity of 3,000 megawatts and an area of ​​5,000 square kilometers, the project will be the second largest wind farm in the world, after China’s Jiuquan. A total of 9 billion Canadian dollars (6.2 billion euros) will be invested there, while the first equipment to collect data on wind quality will be installed in August and a public consultation period will begin. The public company says that the first wind turbines could see the light of day in the region before 2030.

For Hydro-Québec, this Megapark It marks a significant step in its development strategy, which plans to add 10,000 megawatts of new wind power to its grid by 2035. The public group, known for building and managing power plants and hydroelectric dams, has so far stayed away from wind power production, leaving it to private players. But on May 30, its chief executive, Michael Sabia, confirmed that he was opening up his company to build and manage wind farms. That power is now “locomotive”Hydro-Québec's expansion director confirmed that it will meet the growing demand for electricity. “In Quebec, we have a lot of space, and often not many people, and that makes the development of these parks possible, on an industrial scale.”Mr. Sabia argued elsewhere.

Behind these numbers is also an unprecedented agreement between the electricity producer and two indigenous communities whose lands will host the wind turbines, Atikamekw and Pikuakameulnwach. Both, along with a group of municipalities, will be 50% shareholders in the project, while Hydro-Québec will own the other half, according to the press release. For Vivienne Shelton, president of the Atikamekw Council of Wemotatchee, “This partnership not only represents a significant economic development opportunity for our community, but also an important contribution to Quebec’s energy transition.”The partnership was ratified by the Quebec government on June 12.

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