Quebec’s Crown utility has issued a call for tenders for wind energy projects in the province totalling 450 megawatts (MW) it wants to go online by the end of 2017.
Hydro-Québec Distribution issued the tenders for wind power production capacity of 300 MW in the Bas St-Laurent and Gaspésie─Îles-de-la-Madeleine region in southeastern Quebec, and another 150 MW for projects throughout the rest of the province.
According to the provincially-owned utility, the first 100 MW of wind energy from the projects will be linked to its main network no later than Dec. 1, 2016, and the final 350 MW will go online no later than Dec. 1, 2017.
The projects will have to include a minimum of 60 per cent of total project costs spent in Quebec, including costs for the installation of wind turbines.
Hydro-Québec said a minimum of 35 per cent of wind turbine costs must be allocated to the regional county municipality of La Matanie and the administrative region of Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine.
The energy price, which must be added the cost of transmission and the cost of balancing service and firming capacity, must not exceed nine cents/kWh in 2014 dollars.
The contracts will be approved by the Régie de l’énergie.
Pre-bid conferences for potential bidders will be held in February 2014, with bid submissions due in September 2014.