Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to convene with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette in St. John’s on Monday to make an announcement concerning energy security and economic development. Discussions regarding a potential new agreement on Churchill Falls energy have intensified recently, with Radio-Canada confirming Fréchette’s visit to Newfoundland to finalize the agreement. Wakeham’s office released a statement on Saturday evening confirming the attendance of Fréchette, Quebec’s Energy Minister Bernard Drainville, and Hydro-Québec’s president and CEO, Claudine Bouchard, at the event on Monday.
Hydro-Québec also issued a news release inviting reporters to a closed-door briefing on an announcement related to Quebec’s energy security on Monday at 11 a.m. This briefing will be conducted by Dave Rhéaume, Hydro-Québec’s executive vice-president of energy and regulatory strategy and industrial activities. Additionally, a media technical briefing is scheduled in Ottawa at 10:30 a.m. by Natural Resources Canada.
The specific details of the announcement are scarce, but it is confirmed that there will be a gathering at 1:45 p.m. in St. John’s. The Prime Minister’s office announced late on Sunday that Carney will also be in attendance.
Sources with inside knowledge, not authorized to speak publicly, have disclosed that the new deal entails a guaranteed transmission access of 985 megawatts through Quebec, allowing Newfoundland and Labrador to sell up to that capacity to external markets. As per reports from Radio-Canada, each province will receive a significantly higher amount of electricity compared to the previous memorandum of understanding, with Quebec potentially receiving around 10,000 megawatts and Newfoundland and Labrador between 2,350 to 3,000 megawatts.
To achieve the increased electricity production, both provinces have agreed to enhance the hydroelectric facility at Gull Island and boost the generating capacity of the turbines at the existing Churchill Falls plant. This new agreement also incorporates wind power, a component absent from the 2024 MOU signed by former Liberal premier Andrew Furey and former Quebec premier François Legault.
