Quebec: too much energy, stop new projects immediately

A report by a special energy commission in the mainly French speaking province of Quebec is advising the government to completely rethink its energy policy.

The province is one of several in Canada, but relatively rare in the world, that has an abundance of renewable hydro-electric power, along with several wind farms and other projects either currently under construction or planned..

The internal document leaked to a Quebec newspaper, notes that because the US is developing many more of its own energy projects, the demand for Quebec electricity has dropped, as has the price for energy it sells to the US.

The report says the provincially-controlled Hydro Quebec has a surplus of energy and is now forced to export its power at prices lower than 10 years ago, and in many cases at a loss, costing the province vast sums.

The report suggests that the provincial government seriously re-think its development of the $6.5 billion dollar Romaine River hydro-generating  mega projects 3 and 4, and  in fact suspend further investment immediately.

It also says the province should take the same immediate reflection on contracts for wind farms, on small hydro co-generation projects which have not yet been built, halt bids for new power generation projects, and suspend all current building and/or energy supply contracts up for renewal, or at least renegotiate them for more favourable terms.

The report also includes a call to renegotiate sales to aluminium smelters in the province, which are huge consumers of power and which currently enjoy very beneficial rates.

The report strongly suggests an opposite course from that announced by the separatist Parti Quebecois provincial government last year. At that time the PQ said it wants to expand wind power generation by 2017, although it will cost three times more than it the price it currently gets in sales to the US or other provinces.