For the first time in Hydro-Québec’s history, solar power is now supplying the company’s grid. The Gabrielle-Bodis generating station, located in La Prairie, and Robert-A.-Boyd generating station in Varennes began generating electricity last week.
The generating stations have a combined installed capacity of 9.5 MW and will be able to generate close to 16 GWh of solar power annually. This is equivalent to the consumption of 1,000 residential customers. The company says these facilities will act as a testing ground to help Hydro-Québec determine whether solar power is a good fit for its generating fleet, transmission grid and the Québec climate.
“I am very proud that the generating station in La Prairie pays tribute to Gabrielle Bodis,” stated Sophie Brochu, President and CEO of Hydro-Québec. “She was the very first woman to earn an engineering degree from Polytechnique Montréal and she worked for Hydro-Québec for over 35 years.”
Gabrielle-Bodis is the first Hydro-Québec facility named after a woman.
The Robert A. Boyd generating station in Varennes, is named after Hydro Québec’s former President and CEO Robert A. Boyd. The company credit’s Boyd with the success of the hydropower development in the Baie-James region and the francization of engineering in Québec.
Boyd also contributed to the creation of Hydro-Québec’s research institute, which is also the site of the generating station that bears his name.
“We are pleased that Québec is entering the field of solar power generation by leveraging the expertise of local firms, both for the construction of the generating stations—with Borea—and for the purchase of some of the panels—with Stace,” added Jonatan Julien, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources.
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