Electricity Demand Growth on the Rise in Québec

November 12, 2021

In the progress report on the Electricity Supply Plan 2020–2029 (in French only) that it filed with the Régie de l’énergie, Hydro-Québec announced that it anticipates an increase of 20 terawatthours (TWh) or 12% in the province’s electricity demand over the 2019–2020 period.

Over the plan horizon, this forecast represents a 4.1-TWh increase over the forecast in the 2020 progress report. It signals an end to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on electricity consumption and reflects a positive economic forecast for the coming years, as well as the impact of the electrification of the Québec economy.

Anticipated growth in Québec’s electricity demand from 2019 to 2029

• Organic growth: +6,9 TWh
• Growth sectors*: +6,5 TWh
• Transportation electrification: +3,9 TWh
• Building conversion: +3,2 TWh
• Photovoltaic solar: −0,4 TWh

*Growth sectors include data centers, hydrogen, biofuels, greenhouses and blockchain. 

New supplies needed

To meet demand growth, Hydro-Québec will have to add energy and capacity to its supply portfolio. To that end, the company will launch two tender calls this fall for new long-term supplies as of December 2026, one for 480 megawatts from renewable sources and the other for 300 megawatts of wind power.

Other calls for tenders will follow in the coming years to meet the total needs forecasted in the Supply Plan 2020-2029.

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