The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) denounced attempts by political party Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) to halt the further development of wind energy in the province.
‘We firmly denounce the [CAQ] request to halt further development of Quebec's wind energy production,’ notes the association. ‘Such a position runs counter to the very economic development ambitions expressed by the CAQ.’
Recently, the CAQ asked the Quebec government to stop any future wind development in Quebec – including the province's 450 MW request for proposal – claiming that wind energy is costly and noting the province already has electricity surplus.
However, CanWEA notes that the electricity surplus referred to by the CAQ represents only 3% of the total supply.
According to CanWEA, this margin provides system flexibility and also helps promote Quebec's economic development. In fact, notes CanWEA, ‘Many projects put forward by the CAQ as part of its Project Saint-Laurent would directly benefit from this small surplus.’
