Press Release | The Key to Success Lies in the Collaboration of Local Governments and Industry

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Quebec City, September 10, 2024 – During the special consultations on Bill No.o69, Act Ensuring the Responsible Governance of Energy Resources and Amending Various Legislative Provisions, Nergica, one of Canada’s leading applied research centers for renewable energy, will propose seven recommendations that will contribute to the success of this historic reform.

Leveraging Quebec’s expertise, transparency, and innovation

First and foremost, Nergica would like to commend the bill introduced by the Quebec government. Bill No.oBill 69 sets some important milestones for the success of the energy transition. The introduction of an Integrated Energy Resource Management Plan (PGIRE) and long-term transmission grid planning is a remarkable step forward. However, Nergica believes that the success of this overhaul depends on key elements, which have been summarized in seven recommendations:

1. Include in the Integrated Energy Resources Management Plan (PGIRE) :
   • • A geographic dimension to identify energy needs and resources within the region;
     • Visit Government guidelines on land use planning (OGAT) as an input, in addition to climate targets and economic guidelines;
     • A mining component to identify strategic minerals in the energy transition value chain that could be mined.
2. Establish a consultation structured consultation with all stakeholders, by region, to develop the PGIRE.
3. Modernize the bidding process to ensure Quebec content and community participation for future Hydro-Québec electricity supply contracts, rather than abandoning the bidding process before the Régie de l’énergie.
4. Add to the minister’s responsibilities energy efficiency and that energy efficiency be referred to as a “ resource " in order to emphasize its importance.

5. Specify the procedures for public consultation on the development plan for the electricity transmission network over the next 15 years.

6. State in the preamble to the bill that the energy transition is being carried out with the aim of position Quebec as the “battery” of the northeastern part of the continent and with the aim of fostering strategic, two-way cooperation between major transmission systems across northeastern North America.

7. Establish guidelines self-generation of energy to allow, under certain conditions and in designated areas such as industrial parks, for a company to generate and sell electricity to other nearby companies.

Quote

“With this bill, we are moving away from a piecemeal approach to development and entering an era of greater predictability and transparency. However, if we want this to work, the regions, local communities, and industry must be integral parts of this transformation. We must also view energy efficiency as a resource. Consuming energy more wisely is essential to overcoming the greatest challenge of our century.”

Frédéric Côté, Chief Executive Officer

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For further information

Emma Fortin

TACT

581-745-2681

efortin@tactconseil.ca