$87B Quebec plan aims for 77% of energy consumed in province by 2050 from renewables

The Quebec government has unveiled an ambitious 25-year resource management plan targeting 77% of the province's energy consumption to come from renewable sources by 2050. This represents a substantial increase from the current 48% share of renewables.

Energy Minister Bernard Drainville announced the plan, highlighting that the province's dependence on fossil fuels is projected to decrease to 23% from the current 52% by the same target year. Achieving this goal will necessitate a significant investment of $87 billion.

This substantial funding will be directed towards upgrading hydroelectric power plants and developing new wind, solar, and bioenergy sources. The investment is largely in addition to the $200 billion that Quebec's utility, Hydro-Québec, plans to spend by 2035 to enhance its capacity and service reliability. Officials noted that a small portion of the newly announced $87 billion may overlap with Hydro-Québec's existing plans, though the exact amount could not be specified.

The plan underscores Quebec's commitment to transitioning towards a greener energy future, aiming to significantly reduce its carbon footprint and bolster its renewable energy infrastructure over the next quarter-century.

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Describing the goal as ambitious, Drainville says by 2050 Quebec’s share of energy from fossil fuels will drop to 23 per cent from 52 per cent.