Hydro-Québec has grown the province's clean energy potential by approving seven renewable energy projects totalling 1,303 megawatts of installed capacity.

The first call for tender is comprised of five bids for the acquisition of 480 megawatts of renewable power output. The total is 495.2 megawatts, or over 1,000 megawatts of installed capacity.

The second call for tender is two bids for the acquisition of 300 megawatts of wind-generated power, totalling 302.32 megawatts of installed capacity.

Both blocks of bids were initiated by two calls for tender made in December 2021.

The average price of the accepted bids was put at $0.061 per kilowatt-hour, which does not include transmission or balancing.

Energy deliveries for all projects must begin no later than Dec. 1, 2026.

In a news release accompanying the announcement, Hydro-Québec’s vice-president of integrated energy needs planning and risk management Dave Rhéaume said the utility anticipates Quebec’s energy demand to increase by 25 terawatt-hours by 2032. The calls for tender will help meet the demand, he added.

Hydro-Québec said it will finalize contracts with project proponents, which will be sent for approval to Régie de l'énergie, a Quebec energy regulator.

Electricity from the projects will be delivered to Hydro-Québec upon completion.

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The 480 MW call for tender

EDF Renewables, a Paris-based renewable energy developer, builder and operator, is listed as the tender for two projects: the 120-megawatt Haute-Chaudière wind power project and the 270-megawatt Madawaska wind project. Both will be manufactured by Vestas-Canadian Wind Technology.

Innergex Renewable Energy, a renewable energy developer and builder based in Longueuil, Qué., tendered a 102.24-megawatt extension of the Mesgi'g Ugju's'n wind project. It adds on to an existing 150-megawatt wind project and is expected to be covered by a 30-year power purchase agreement. Enercon, a German wind turbine manufacturer, is listed as the manufacturer. A press release estimates project costs at approximately $277.4 million.

Invenergy Renewables Canada Development was awarded a 350-megawatt contract for the Pohénégamook–Picard–Saint-Antonin Wind Energy Centre. The project will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 50,000 homes once operational, a press release says. The centre has received almost $900 million in investment, the release adds. The manufacturer is listed as Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, a Spanish-German company.

The final listed project is Hydro-Québec’s with 159-megawatts of installed capacity. The energy source was not specified.

The 300 MW call for tender

EDF Renewables will also develop the 180-megawatt Forêt Domaniale wind project located in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. Like EDF Renewables' two projects in the 480-megawatt tender, it will be manufactured by Vestas-Canadian Wind Technology.

The last project in this block is the 122-megawatt Saint-Damase II wind project tendered by Algonquin Power Trust. Enercon is named as the manufacturer.

Widening Quebec's wind capacity

The approved projects align with the Quebec government's and Hydro-Québec's focus on wind power. In the release, a Quebec minister said the government wants to quadruple its wind capacity over the next 15 years.

In a separate announcement, Hydro-Québec said a call for tenders for 1,500-megawatts of wind projects would be released shortly.