-
Quebec’s greatest energy resource is its hydropower, which generates about 97 per cent of the province’s electricity. Other sources of electricity include nuclear power, wind and thermal generation.
In 2007, Quebec exported 17.5 terawatt hours of electricity, worth about $1.5 billion. About 85 per cent of electricity exports went to the United States, the rest to Canada. Energy-related imports included crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.
Quebec is not involved in oil and gas extraction; however, utilities accounted for about four per cent of its gross domestic product.
The government of Quebec received more than $552 million in waterpower royalties.
Discover the key energy facts about Québec.
By the numbers (572KB PDF)
-
Natural Gas
Hydrocarbon exploration in Quebec was triggered during the 1800s by the discovery of oil seeps in sedimentary outcrops in the St. Lawrence Lowlands; however, the resource couldn’t be economically developed.
Recent advances in production technology for tight sands and gas shales have renewed interest in natural gas from the Utica Shale in southern Quebec and northern New York.
In Quebec, the most prospective areas are the St. Lawrence lowlands between Montreal and Quebec City, and on Gaspé Peninsula.
In 2008, five wells were drilled and production was expected to commence in 2009. Interest has abated somewhat with the 70 per cent decline in natural gas prices to the current $3.83 US per million British thermal units from $12.69 US per million British thermal units one year ago.
-
Natural Gas Pipelines
The TransCanada Canadian Mainline delivers natural gas from the Alberta-Saskatchewan border east to the Québec-Vermont border and connects with other natural gas pipelines in Canada. In 2008, the Mainline transported an average 9.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas per day.
The Trans Quebec and Maritimes Pipeline connects to the TransCanada Mainline at Saint-Lazare, west of Montréal, and runs to East Hereford on the New Hampshire border where it connects to the Portland Natural Gas Transmission System.
Liquids Pipelines
The eastern part of the Enbridge System transports crude oil from Montreal to Sarnia, Ontario
Trans-Northern Pipelines extends from Nanticoke, Ontario to Montréal, Québec and delivers refined petroleum products to major cities and airports in southern Ontario and western Quebec.
-
Refineries
Shell Canada’s Montreal East Refinery refines approximately 20,660 cubic metres per day of crude oil into distillates, heavy oils, lubricating oils, waxes, bitumen and 7,500 cubic metres of gasoline. The refinery has 450 full-time employees.
Ultramar’s Jean-Gaulin refinery in Levis, near Quebec City refines approximately 42,000 cubic metres of crude oil per day into gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, home heating oil, butane and #6 fuel oil. The Refinery employs approximately 490 individuals.
Petro-Canada’s Montreal Refinery, with a daily throughput of 19,700 cubic metres of crude oil, produces gasoline, distillates, asphalts, heavy fuel oil, petrochemicals, solvents and feedstock for lubricants.
-
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity provides about 97 per cent of Québec’s electricity demand. Hydro-Québec operates 57 hydroelectric generating stations with a total installed capacity of 33,305 megawatts, or about 42 per cent of Canada’s total installed capacity for hydroelectricity.
The largest facility is the Robert-Bourassa Generating Station with an installed capacity of 5,616 megawatts.
Eleven of the 57 generating stations have installed capacities greater than 1,000 megawatts.
Construction on the next large hydropower project in Québec, the 1,550 Romaine Complex, is scheduled to start in the second quarter of 2009. When complete, the facility will consist of four generating stations with combined annual generation of eight terawatt-hours.
Total generation from hydropower amounted to 157,477 gigawatt-hours in 2007.
-
Wind
Quebec currently has ten wind farms with combined installed capacity of 532 megawatts. They are all located on the Gaspé Peninsula, and comprise 412 turbines. In 2007, these wind farms generated 1,000 megawatt hours of electricity.
The two largest wind farms, the Baie-des-Sables wind farm and the Carleton wind farm, both have installed capacities of 109.5 megawatts.
Six other wind farms with combined installed capacity of 841.5 megawatts are under construction. Another 16, with combined installed capacity of 2,058 megawatts are planned. The largest of these will have an installed capacity of 350 megawatts.
-
Nuclear Power
Quebec has one nuclear generating station, Gentilly-2, with a net installed capacity of 635 megawatts. The station represents three per cent of Hydro Quebec’s production and creates enough energy to meet the consumption needs of an estimated 270,000 residential customers.
Gentilly-2 is located near Bécancour, Québec, about 23 kilometres east of Trois-Rivières and began commercial generation in 1983. The facility is currently undergoing a $1.9 billion refurbishment that is expected to be completed by 2012.
Gentilly-1, near Trois-Rivières in Québec, was a CANDU prototype, and as such, was never used for commercial purposes. The reactor was taken out of service in 1979.
-
Thermal Electricity Generation
Quebec has one conventional thermal generating station and three gas turbine generating stations with combined installed capacity of 1,470 megawatts or about four per cent of Quebec’s total installed capacity.
Conventional thermal generation in 2007 was 262 gigawatt-hours or about 0.2 per cent of total generation.
The Tracy conventional thermal generating station, with an installed capacity of 600 megawatts, is fuelled by petroleum. It is the largest of the four thermal generation stations.
The Bécancour, Cadillac and La Citière gas turbine generating stations are fuelled by natural gas.
Quebec also has 24 diesel-fuelled generators that supply electricity to off-grid locations.
