Legault in Newfoundland and Labrador to negotiate the Churchill Falls contract
The Chruchill River has been a source of contention between Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec since the signing of the Churchill Falls Generating Station contract in 1969.
Quebec Premier François Legault will travel to Newfoundland and Labrador on Thursday and Friday to negotiate with his counterpart Andrew Furey on the renewal of the agreement concluded between the two provinces in 1969 regarding hydroelectric production in the region. Churchill Falls Generating Station.
Mr. Legault made the announcement during question period at the National Assembly on Tuesday.
The electricity supply agreement from the Churchill Falls dam expires in 2041 and its renewal is one of the centerpieces of the Legault government's energy strategy.
Recall that the CAQ government foresees an increase in demand for electricity due to the decarbonization of the Quebec economy.
On January 25, Mr. Legault said in an interview with Radio-Canada that the carbon neutrality objective for 2050 that his government has set itself makes the renegotiation of the carbon neutrality all the more pressing. agreement reached between Quebec and Saint-Jean.
The Prime Minister also expressed interest in the Gull Island dam project, downstream of the Churchill River, adding that #x27;he will not arrive empty-handed to meet Mr. Furey. Hydro-Quebec, he recalls, also has four or five projects on Quebec territory.
If it doesn't work, Churchill Falls and Gull Island, we [we're going to make our own] dam, he said in the interview with Patrice Roy.
The Churchill Falls contract is for a huge amount of energy. The plant provides Hydro-Québec with nearly 15% of its needs, or 31 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy per year.
Premier Legault does not want the company to #x27;State remains dependent on a hydroelectric plant that is not even on its territory. Hence the need for a plan B, according to him.
The announcement of this visit comes as we learned this week that the Uashat mak Mani-utenam band council had launched a legal action against Hydro-Québec and CFLCo, the company that operates the plant in question.
The Innu government has filed its request in Superior Court last Friday. He is claiming $2.2 billion from Hydro-Québec, which he accuses of having destroyed his territory.
With information from La Presse canadienne
