Driven by both organic factors, new technologies and electric vehicles, Hydro-Quebec said in its outlook for electricity demand that it will need an additional 25 terawatthours (TWh) or 14% more energy to meet electricity demand over the 2022–2032 period.
The increase is due to several factors, many of which relate to the energy transition, said the utility.
- Organic growth: +4.3 TWh
- Building/industrial process conversion: +4.5 TWh
- Emerging markets +8.9 TWh:
- Data centers 4.1 TWh
- Green hydrogen production 2.3 TWh
- Battery components for electric vehicles 1.2 TWh
- Greenhouse farming 0.7 TWh
- New technologies:
- Photovoltaic solar: −0.7 TWh
- Transportation electrification: +7.8 TWh
(The sum of the values may differ from the total because of rounding.)
Hydro-Québec said it has already begun to implement some measures to meet the increased demand including energy efficiency and demand response; building additional renewable energy capacity and increasing the capacity of existing hydropower plants. It has also requested to withdraw its allocation of approximately 270 MW of energy capacity that was slated to be dedicated to blockchain production use over the short term because it would increase pressure on current balances.
Energy Efficiency and DR
The anticipated growth takes into account significant energy efficiency efforts that will make it possible to curtail 8.9 TWh by 2032. Hydro-Québec programs such as the Efficient Heat Pump Program for residential customers and the Efficient Solutions Program for business customers will help optimize electricity use, said the utility.
In addition, demand response tools will help it manage winter peaks. In total, the tools available to various customer segments will help curtail more than 3,000 megawatts (MW) in winter 2031-2032 — the equivalent of the capacity of La Grande-4 generating station, the second largest among its 62 hydroelectric facilities in terms of capacity. Demand response tools include its smart home program, Hilo, and dynamic pricing, as well as the demand response option offered to business customers.
Learn more about Hilo in the video below.
New calls for tenders
To meet the growing demand, Hydro-Québec will have to add energy and capacity to its supply portfolio. To that end, two new calls for tenders—one for 300 MW of wind power and the other for 480 MW of renewable energy—are already underway. Two more, for 1,000 MW of wind power and 1,300 MW of renewable energy, respectively, will be launched in the next few months, and others will follow in the coming years to meet the needs set out in the Electricity Supply Plan 2023–2032.
More on Hilo in the video below.
