Hydro-Québec
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hydro-Québec | |
 |
|
| Type | Crown Corporation |
|---|---|
| Founded | Montreal, Quebec (1944) |
| Headquarters | Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Key people | Thierry Vandal, President & CEO[1] |
| Industry | Electricity generation & distribution |
| Products | Electricity |
| Revenue |  $10.69 billion CAN (2004) |
| Employees | 22,000 (2005) |
| Website | www.hydroquebec.com |
Hydro-Québec is a crown corporation that provides hydroelectric power for Quebec, Canada and the north-eastern parts of the United States. Hydro-Québec's total installed capacity in 2005 was 35,190 MW, approximately 97% of which is from hydroelectric sources. Hydro-Québec is the world's largest producer of hydroelectric power.
Hydro-Québec was originally created by Premier Adélard Godbout on April 14, 1944 in a partial nationalization of electricity companies around Montreal, notably Montreal Light, Heat and Power Company. The full name was "Quebec Hydro-Electric Commission", but the name Hydro-Québec soon came into use. The first president was Télesphore-Damien Bouchard.
The name was chosen because Quebec produces most of its electricity from hydroelectric sources.
Maurice Duplessis became premier again later in 1944, and refused any further nationalizations of power companies.
During the Quiet Revolution, the remaining 11 privately owned electricity companies in Quebec were nationalized, greatly expanding Hydro-Québec into its modern form. The nationalization was completed under the initiative of René Lévesque, Minister of Hydroelectric Resources and Public Works in the Liberal government of Jean Lesage.
Beginning in 1965, Jean-Jacques Archambault and his colleagues made Hydro-Québec the first utility in the world to use 735 kV transmission lines for the most efficient long-distance transport of electricity. These lines currently make up one third of the power grid in Quebec.
In the 1970s, Liberal Premier Robert Bourassa initiated the construction of the James Bay hydroelectric project. Today, it contributes a significant fraction of Quebec's power requirements.
Between 1966 and 1983, Hydro-Québec constructed the Gentilly Nuclear Generating Station, the only nuclear power plant located in the province of Quebec.
On March 13, 1989, Hydro-Québec experienced a blackout due to a solar geomagnetic storm. Restoration of power took about nine hours.
In January 1998, a major and unprecedented ice storm destroyed a large number of electric pylons and transmission lines. The ice storm left most of the Island of Montreal without electricity for up to nine days, and some other areas of Quebec for up to three weeks.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Hydro-Québec homepage (in English; also available in French)
- History of Hydro-Québec
- Hydro-Québec Act
