Start of preparatory work on the Apuiat site

The electricity generated by Apuiat will be sold exclusively to Hydro-Québec. (File photo)

Preparatory work for the Apuiat wind project began on Monday a few dozen kilometers from the city of Port-Cartier.

This first step is to prepare the ground and create the road that will take you to the project location. The duration of the work is estimated at one week.

“This is a concrete step in the progress of the project, obviously, which has been in the works for several years. »

— Élisabeth Chevalier, community relations manager for the Apuiat wind project

The person in charge of relations with the community for the Apuiat wind project, Élisabeth Chevalier, believes that even if it is nothing major, if we can say, in relation to the project, it is a good first step, that we are proud to cross.

Specifically, the preparatory work consists of clearing snow and clearing an area of ​​approximately 12 kilometers on the way to the sawmill, near Lake Pentecôte. Construction will begin later this spring.

Élisabeth Chevalier, community relations manager for the Apuiat wind project ( Photo archive)

The Apuiat project aims to operate around fifty wind turbines with a total power of 200 megawatt hours and will be spread over an area of ​​113 km2.

This first step recalls moreover to the mayor of Port-Cartier, Alain Thibault, all the political work that was done upstream.

This is concrete. There, we see the work on the ground. It is certain that before there was a lot of work at the political level, before arriving at having a project like this. […] We must not hide it, if there are no Aboriginal people in the decor, there is sure to be no project.

The Apuiat wind turbines are located about forty kilometers from the center of Port-Cartier. (File photo)

Only one Innu community on the North Shore, that of Pessamit, is not part of the project for the moment. Élisabeth Chevalier specifies however that it is open on the Apuiat side if the community finally wishes to participate.

The commissioning of the Apuiat project is scheduled for fall 2024. The City of Port-Cartier will be able to collect royalties from the project over a period of 30 years.

With information from Camille Lacroix

• One ​​more step to make the Apuiat wind project a reality

• Pascal Bérubé affirms that the wind farm wind farm Apuiat would have no Quebec content