Hydro-Quebec is upgrading its 735-kV grid to support the Quebec energy transition.
The announcement backs the Action Plan 2035 and aims to meet an increasing requirement for clean and renewable electricity.
An additional 60 TWh of clean electricity is required by 2035, equivalent to 8,000-9,000 MW of installed capacity. Hydro-Quebec will have to reinforce the main transmission system to integrate new generation and ensure system reliability.
First phase of the upgrade will include the optimization of the existing system and the construction of almost 850 km of new 735-kV or 315-kV lines, as well as 5 strategic new substations in 3 areas. The infrastructure will allow new generation to be integrated into the grid, transmit additional energy across Quebec and increase grid reliability and resilience to increasingly intense weather phenomena.
During the process, many stakeholders will be consulted, workers will be mobilized and about $10 billion in investments will be required. Economic spinoffs for Quebec will total over $7 billion and will benefit households across the province.
The upgrade of the main transmission system will be rolled out in six of Quebec’s administrative regions and will involve more than 25 regional county municipalities (MRCs), almost 200 municipalities and some 11 Indigenous communities from 6 First Nations.
Three priority areas namely Cete-Nord, Appalaches–Bas-Saint-Laurent and Vallee-du-Saint-Laurent have been identified to allow new power generation to be integrated into the grid and efficiently transmitted to consumption centres.
Hydro-Quebec will discuss the upgrading of its main transmission system with representatives of First Nations, MRCs, municipalities and various regional groupings. The consultations are intended to present the areas under study and planned projects, deepen knowledge of the host environments and gather concerns.
The new infrastructure will be commissioned between 2031 and 2036.
