Québec is facing a growing demand for clean energy. It needs to plan now to meet its long-term energy requirements. This will boost economic prosperity, increase energy autonomy, and enhance energy security while providing for a lower-carbon economy.
Québec’s energy choices will have a significant impact on:
business competitiveness;
the cost and availability of energy;
infrastructure resilience and energy security;
regional economic development; and
Québec’s ability to meet its climate objectives.
The Integrated Energy Resource Management Plan (PDF 18.35 Mb) (IERMP) developed by the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie in collaboration with Hydro-Québec and natural gas distributors offers a framework that maps out energy requirements through to 2050. Taking into account Québec’s economic, climate, and social objectives, the IERMP will help guide decisions regarding energy efficiency, supply, production, and consumption and will provide a roadmap for the evolution of energy infrastructure.
On this page:
Directions and Objectives
The IERMP aims to establish a predictable and transparent energy trajectory to meet Québec’s future needs while contributing to Québec’s economic prosperity, energy transition, and energy system resilience.
Objective 3.1. Create conditions that support the development of renewable energy pathways
Objective 3.2. Strengthen renewable energy supply chains and industrial capacity
Objective 3.3: Promote innovation, demonstration, and continuous improvement and ensure consistency in the development and deployment of technological solutions that put Québec on its optimal energy trajectory
New sources of supply and tools to meet peak needs3 (GW)
43
2
12
22
65
Additional sources of bioenergy (TWh)
40
11
30
50
90
Sources
1Hydro-Québec’s supply portfolio includes electricity it generates itself, electricity generated by partners, supply contracts, and any other means of meeting electricity needs. Energy efficiency gains are excluded.
2In 2022, electricity supply reached 217 TWh, of which 195 TWh was supplied by Hydro-Québec. The remaining 22 TWh came from self-generators and independent private producers. This trajectory could also be supplemented by a growing contribution from local private generation, which is expected to evolve based on sectoral trends and economic conditions.
3Peak electricity needs, or peak demand, refer to the maximum level of electricity consumption on the system at a given time. The trajectory for this target reflects compliance with the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) capacity reliability criterion in each period.
Implementation
The IERMP is Québec’s energy policy. It is being implemented collaboratively by the Government of Québec, energy distributors, partner municipalities and Indigenous groups, and other energy and economic partners. It guides future planning efforts and decisions to better manage our energy use.
The IERMP will be updated every six years to reflect changing energy needs, technological advances, and economic conditions.
The IERMP complements other government energy, economic, and climate change policies, including the 2030 Plan for a Green Economy. It helps ensure that Québec’s energy choices are consistent with the objectives of economic development, security, and energy transition.
A collaborative approach
The IERMP has been developed through a collaborative and participatory approach involving government departments and agencies, energy distributors, consumers and producers of various types of energy, municipal representatives, energy experts, and Indigenous stakeholders and communities. It also takes a science-based modelling approach.
The Government also:
held consultations and discussions with the public to inform the debate on the energy issues that will shape Québec in the coming decades; and
requested an opinion from the Régie de l’énergie before finalizing the IERMP.