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Renewable and Sustainable:
Hydropower, an Asset in the
Fight against Climate Change
Hydro-Québec - www.hydroquebec.com
| Located in eastern Canada and with a population of 7.4 million, Québec
is the largest province in Canada geographically, with an area of nearly
1,700,000 km2. Fresh water covers about 10% of Québec's landmass. It
has over 4,500 rivers and about one million lakes.
Hydro-Québec is a government corporation whose mandate is to provide
an essential public service: supply electricity to all Québec residents. With
an installed capacity of over 36,000 MW from hydro sources and a
commitment to purchase some 3,500 MW of wind power, Hydro-Québec
has become the largest per capita supplier of renewable energy in the
world, while maintaining some of the lowest rates in North America. |
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Because Québec uses predominantly hydropower to meet its energy needs,
it has much lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than its neighbors. For
the power industry specifically, per capita emissions are 97 times lower
than elsewhere in Canada. Therefore,
Hydro-Québec is working to have
hydropower's contribution recognized in
the tradable credit system proposed by
the Canadian government.
Although water resources are
abundant in Québec, Hydro-Québec is
doing everything it can to manage them
carefully; in fact, fewer than 3% of
Québec's rivers are harnessed to generate
electricity. All of our projects must fulfill
the following three conditions, in keeping
with sustainable development principles:
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Be environmentally acceptable. |
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Be well received by local communities. |
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Be profitable in economic terms. |
Powering economic development
Hydroelectric development has always
been a driving force behind the Québec
economy. It has allowed Québec to
acquire world-calibre expertise in
engineering and the environment. Thanks
to its competitive rates and investments
throughout the province, Hydro-Québec plays a major role in creating jobs
and putting in place regional infrastructures such as roads and boat
launching ramps, which facilitate access to isolated areas and promote
regional development.
Contributing to social development
Ever since it was created, Hydro-Québec has endeavored to enhance the
quality of life of all Quebecers by developing the province's water resources in partnership
with community
stakeholders. Local and
regional communities,
social and economic
organizations, and citizens'
groups are among Hydro-Québec's main partners in
the implementation of its
projects and operation of
its facilities.
Protecting the global
environment
To fight climate change, we
must produce the smallest
volume of greenhouse
gases possible while
meeting our growing
energy needs. As shown in
the figure above, based on
the life-cycle analysis of
different generation options, hydropower performs extremely well in terms
of low greenhouse gas emissions, while offering considerable flexibility. By
replacing fossil sources, hydropower helps preserve air quality and reduce
the harmful effects of acid rain and smog.
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| Source: Energy Policy. 2002. Life-cycle assessment of electricity generation options. |
Sustainable energy development
Electricity is an extremely valuable resource. Now more than ever, it must
be generated and consumed responsibly.
For that reason, Hydro-Québec has made energy efficiency and the
development of renewable energies a priority. By the year 2010, Hydro-
Québec plans to save 4.1 TWh of energy, equivalent to the annual
consumption of 250,000 Canadian households heated by electricity.
Many years ago, Québec opted for hydropower, a renewable and
sustainable type of energy. Today, that decision is allowing the province
to easily diversify its portfolio of renewables. Pursuing hydroelectric
development will make it easier to integrate wind power, an intermittent
renewable source of energy, on Québec's main grid. Hydro-Québec wishes
to capitalize on this fact to become a world leader in bringing wind power
onto a large power grid while maintaining quality and reliability.
Hydropower and climate change
As a driving force behind sustainable development, hydropower currently
provides 92% of the world's renewable energy, allowing us to reduce oil
consumption by the equivalent of 4.4 million barrels a day.
Both in Québec and around the world, the hydroelectric potential yet
to be developed is now estimated at 11,810 TWh. If that energy potential
were developed in a manner respectful of people and the environment, it
would lead to annual GHG reductions equivalent to approximately 37% of
current worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.
Isn't that a promising solution?
For more information: www.hydroquebec.com
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