Wind Energy

Hydro-Québec Aims to Triple Wind Power, Coalition Demands Moratorium

In Quebec City, the Regroupement vigilance énergie Québec marched on September 7, 2026, demanding a wind power moratorium and a broad environmental review of Hydro-Québec's expansion plan.

September 8, 2026 — energynewsSectors Wind EnergyOnshoreThemes Regulation & GovernancePublic PolicyCompanies Hydro-QuébecCountries CanadaChinaFinland

Several hundred people marched in Quebec City on September 7, 2026, Labour Day, in a demonstration organized by the Regroupement vigilance énergie Québec (RVÉQ) from the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec to the National Assembly. The protest calls for a moratorium on new wind power projects and the launch of a generic public hearing process, known as a BAPE (Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement), an expanded review covering the cumulative impacts of the sector across the province rather than a single project. The demand comes as other markets elsewhere pursue rapid diversification of their renewable portfolios, such as China, where solar has overtaken coal with 1,286 GW installed, or Finland, which recently welcomed a 101 MWp solar park developed by Alight and Autoliv. This demonstration is part of a series of protests launched by a citizen coalition since early 2025.

A multi-source development plan led by Hydro-Québec

The coalition brings together local committees opposed to what it describes as an acceleration of wind power development carried out without a comprehensive assessment of its impact on land, particularly agricultural and forest areas. Its central demand, unchanged since its first public appearance, is a moratorium until an expanded environmental review process is carried out. The backdrop to this protest is the energy development plan led by Hydro-Québec, aimed at meeting expected growth in electricity demand by mid-century. The plan combines several sources — existing and new hydroelectric facilities, wind power, solar, storage and energy efficiency — to raise the state-owned utility's total production capacity. In the plan's nearest-term phase, added wind capacity represents the largest component, with Hydro-Québec planning to triple its current production from this source. Framing the plan as resting exclusively on wind power, as the organizer's release does, therefore simplifies a strategy that remains multi-source, even though wind power stands as the main short-term growth driver. This capacity rollout also implies a significant expansion of the high-voltage electricity transmission network, whose scale is likewise built into the utility's planning. It is this dual transformation of the territory — the multiplication of wind farms and the extension of the transmission network — that the coalition denounces, arguing there has been no prior collective debate on the province's actual energy needs.

A critique of the private sector's role that requires nuance

The coalition also challenges the role left to the private sector in developing the wind power industry, given that electricity generation and distribution have historically been the purview of a state-owned utility. This criticism, however, warrants nuance: a significant share of the largest wind projects recently announced by Hydro-Québec involves no associated private developer, while other, older or smaller-scale wind farms continue to involve private developers partnered with the utility. The sector's reality therefore appears mixed rather than entirely private, and the coalition's narrative on this point reflects a political position it defends rather than an established fact in the sources reviewed.

Union and association support for the mobilization

According to the RVÉQ, the September 7, 2026 mobilization drew delegations from several regions of Quebec, accompanied by a symbolic staging in front of the National Assembly. Ms. Janie Vachon-Robillard, who leads the wind power file and mobilization efforts within the coalition, carried the moratorium message during the event. Mr. Patrick Gloutney, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) - Quebec, attended in support of Hydro-Québec's workers represented by the union. The presence of Mr. Guillaume Ouellet, president of the Fédération québécoise des gestionnaires de zecs, at the demonstration is reported by an independent source but does not appear in the release issued by the organizer.