Quebec report calls for stop on electricity projects, carbon trade ....

Today's big news in Canada's electricity/environmental sector is being reported, thus far, only in French (which I can speak as well as translate.google.com lets me...)

Halte aux projects, dit un rapport - after the title, using google's translate:

Quebec must review in depth the development strategy of Hydro-Québec and curb hydropower projects, but also wind, which are losing billions of dollars to the state. It is concluded that the report produced by the Commission on energy issues at the request of the Quebec government, which The Gazette obtained a copy.
The paper emphasizes that Hydro-Québec should definitely revise its methods taking into account the new North American energy context. For a decade, the demand for electricity Quebec peaked or declined. And it sells much cheaper today than it was ten years, particularly due to the exploitation of shale gas in the United States.
However, during this time, the corporation has increased its production capacity, the Commission points out, so that Quebec is taken with large surpluses. These can be passed on export markets, at a loss. " The cost of energy from new generation facilities placed in service from 2008 between 6 ¢ / kWh and 12 ¢ / kWh. This is reflected by an annual subsidy to power generators that will reach 1.2 billion in 2017, at the expense of electricity consumers and taxpayers. " This annual bill should even go to 1.4 billion in 2020 then 2 billion in 2025.

The entire article is posted at Le Devoir, as is (we discovered via twitter) the entire report: Rapport de la Commission sur les enjeux énergétiques du Québec. MAÎTRISER NOTRE AVENIR ÉNERGÉTIQUE (translates to "Report of the Commission on energy issues in Quebec. MANAGING OUR ENERGY FUTURE").


I've taken the pages I hope are the executive summary and through the magic of google docs (shared here):

• at best commission expects greenhouse gas reduction of 15% by 2025 (20% by 2020 government promise, and that recently boosted to 25%)
• recommends " a first intermediate of 20% reduction of the consumption of petroleum products by 2025 goal" largely by eliminating oil in heating
• recommends suspension of participation in Western Climate Initiative "system of cap and trade emissions trading" due to "very unequal" cost of reducing emissions in California and Quebec; states "especially Ontario" as required other parties needed to join initiative before Quebec would lift suspension
• "That any new supply by Hydro-Québec Production and Hydro-Québec Distribution is contracted based on the average price of energy exports off-peak the previous year. "
• notes "impossible for Quebec to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and control its energy consumption" without concentration of transportation in energy policy
• support for developeing biomass to replace oil heating
• natural gas pipeline access for the North Shore (replacing oil and diesel with natural gas where electricity and biomass not appropriate)