The Quebec government has announced a partnership with the Mi'gmaq community of Gesgapegiag, the Alliance de l'energie de l'Est, and Hydro-Quebec to develop up to 6,000 megawatts of new wind capacity on the south side of the Gaspe Peninsula, at a cost of up to $18 billion.
Hydro-Quebec CEO Claudine Bouchard called the investment the "largest commitment to wind power development in North America."
The output from the project would equal "the amount of electricity used, for example, by the entire island of Montreal," Premier Francois Legault said during the announcement Wednesday. "That's huge."
The total value of the project could go even higher with the construction of a transmission line in the Gaspesie, The Canadian Press reports.
"These investments will generate major economic and social benefits for the region, particularly in terms of job creation, work force training, and diversification of community and municipal revenues," the province said in a release.
The project is a part of Hydro-Quebec's wider plan to develop more than 10,000 MW of new wind power capacity by 2035, in collaboration with First Nations and municipalities. The provincial utility has announced a 3,000-MW wind farm in Saguenay-Lac St. Jean, as well as a separate agreement in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, for a total value of about $15 billion.
"In Quebec, we spend $10 billion a year on fossil fuel supplies," said Energy Minister Christine Frechette. "That's crazy. So let's take some of that money and invest it in renewable energy, which will generate benefits for Quebecers and clearly transform the Quebec economy, in addition to contributing to the well-being of the planet."
"Prediction: this sentiment is going to catch on in other Canadian provinces and in fossil fuel import-dependent jurisdictions worldwide, as it should," Dan Woynillowicz, principal of Polaris Strategy + Insight, commented on LinkedIn.
Last June, CP writes, the Legault government rushed through the controversial Bill 69, which aims to give Hydro-Quebec free rein to increase its electricity production. At the time, Frechette said passing the legislation before the summer would save $6 billion on the wind power strategy, valued at $30 billion, and "create 1,000 well-paying jobs in the regions."
In June, three Mi'gmaq communities in the Gaspe closed a joint venture deal with Longueuil-based Hydro-Quebec subsidiary Innergex Renewable Energy to build and co-own a 102.2-megawatt wind farm in the region. Financing included a $108.3-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), which itself incorporated a $15.8-million equity loan enabling the communities of Gesgapegiag, Gespeg, and Listuguj to increase their ownership stake through the jointly-owned Mi'gmawei Mawiomi Business Corp. (MMBC).
The main body of this story was first published in French by The Canadian Press on Aug. 27, 2025.
Source: The Energy Mix
