Quebec to be left with power surplus

Quebec will have a 20TWh power surplus over the next decade, according to Hydro-Québec.

In a report filed with the province’s energy board, the utility said that it now estimates that its industrial clients will require 60TWh in 2015 rather than the 64.5TWh previously forecast. There has been a significant decline in the energy needs of most of its industrial clients since Hydro-Québec filed its 2011-20 forecast in 2010, said spokesman Patrice Lavoie.

The surplus is attributed to a decline in industrial output as well as the very aggressive development of wind power, small-scale and large-scale hydro, bringing a considerable amount of capacity online over the same period.