Hydro-Québec to expand its transmission lines

Hydro-Québec announced the launch of the first phase of development and reinforcement work on its power transmission network – the high-voltage lines that carry large quantities of electricity from where it is generated to the substations that redistribute it to clients.

Quebecers can expect to see a forest of new transmission lines over the next few years.

On Monday, Hydro-Québec announced the launch of the first phase of development and reinforcement work on its power transmission network – the high-voltage lines that carry large quantities of electricity from where it is generated to the substations that redistribute it to clients.

It was already known that Hydro-Québec's wants to massively increase its electricity production, but once produced, this electricity must be transported.

Between now and 2035, the utilities corporation plans to invest a total of $50 billion to install some 5,000 kilometers of transmission lines, about half at high voltage (735 kilovolts and 315 kilovolts) and the other half at intermediate voltage (between 69 kV and 315 kV) for regional development and local loads.

The first phase announced on Monday represents investments of around $10 billion to reinforce the existing network, build almost 850 kilometers of new 735 kV or 315 kV transmission lines, and add five new substations.

The company's plan already includes the installation of 1,600 new towers for this first phase.

This phase will be carried out along three axes: one on the North Shore in the corridor between Sept-Îles and Baie-Comeau, the second in the Appalachian-Lower St. Lawrence sector covering the Beauce to the area bordering the New Brunswick border near Edmundston, and the third in the St. Lawrence Valley, inland on the North Shore from the Capitale-Nationale region through the Mauricie region to the Lanaudière region.