MONTREAL -- As Quebec's economy starts to get back on its feet after the COVID-19 pandemic, Hydro-Québec says it foresees a rise in electricity needs.
The Crown corporation says it plans to issue two calls for tenders this fall for new long-term contracts starting in December 2026.
In a brief press release issued Tuesday, the utility company explains one of the calls for tenders will be for 480 megawatts of renewable energy, while the other will be for 300 megawatts of wind power.
Hydro-Québec says it anticipates a 20 terawatt-hours (TWh) growth in Quebec's electricity demand, or 12 per cent over the period of 2019-2029.
The details of this hypothesis have been outlined in the 2021 status report of the 2020-2029 Electricity Supply Plan, which has been filed with the Régie de l'énergie.
Hydro-Québec points out that this forecast represents an increase of 4.1 TWh in relation to the 2029 progress report.
The public utility company says this reflects the end of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity consumption and a favourable economic outlook for the coming years.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 2, 2021.
