The CEOs of Hydro-Québec and NB Power, Éric Martel and Gaëtan Thomas, have signed three agreements in a joint press conference at Mactaquac hydroelectric generating station. Under these agreements, a large volume of electricity will be exported from Québec and imported into New Brunswick; a technical collaboration will be initiated between the parties to refurbish concrete at the Mactaquac generating station; and the entities will begin discussions on the construction of additional interconnections between the two provinces.

Under the first agreement, Hydro-Québec will export a total of 47 TWh of electricity to New Brunswick between now and 2040, to be made over the existing interconnections. New Brunswick has had an agreement with Québec on energy imports since 2012, and this builds on that agreement.

Moving forward, Hydro-Québec will have enough energy available to continue its initiatives in neighbouring markets, which is enough to supply more than four million households per year.

“Thanks to a major build-out of our generation facilities, Hydro-Québec has a lot of energy available, and we’re thrilled to be contributing to New Brunswick’s clean energy supply over the next two decades,” said Éric Martel, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec.

The second agreement outlines technical collaboration between Hydro-Québec and NB Power for part of the refurbishment of the concrete portions of Mactaquac generating station, pending regulatory approvals, in order to extend its lifespan until at least 2068.

The third agreement calls for discussions to begin regarding the construction of additional interconnections between Québec and New Brunswick, in order to increase electricity exports to Atlantic Canada and the United States. This would not only help reduce GHG emissions in northeast North America by replacing fossil fuels with hydropower, but would also improve the reliability of both grids.