PPAW Wind Energy Centre to Begin Construction
Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec. (January 8, 2025) – Invenergy and the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est are pleased to share that the Pohénégamook–Picard–Saint-Antonin–Wolastokuk (PPAW) Wind Energy Centre has been issued a decree from the Government of Quebec, allowing the project to move towards construction in early 2025.
Following the report from the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), which highlighted the project’s potential to generate significant economic benefits and the efforts made to mitigate environmental impacts, the Government of Quebec issued the decree earlier this week.
Selected by Hydro-Québec Distribution in March 2023 as part of a call for tenders, the PPAW Wind Energy Centre will provide 350 MW of renewable energy to the Hydro-Québec network through the installation of 56 wind turbines on the ancestral territory of the Wolastokuk and the MRCs of Rivière-du-Loup, Kamouraska, and Témiscouata.
"We thank the Government of Quebec for their support of the PPAW Wind Energy Centre and for recognizing the project’s contribution to creating clean electricity for Quebec’s energy transition, as well as its social acceptability, environmental, and economic merits," Louis Robert, Vice President, Renewable Development at Invenergy said. “This is a significant milestone for the project that moves us forward to constructing a successful energy solution for the region and Quebec.”
"We are determined to carry out this project in an exemplary manner within a mutually beneficial partnership between the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation, the local communities, and an experienced and trustworthy private partner. We have shaped a pioneering model that is set to become the standard for the development of wind projects in Quebec. It's a great day for Eastern Quebec, the energy sector, and the wind industry," added the president of Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est, Michel Lagacé.
"Here is a great example of a project developed in true partnership and with respect for the ancestral territory of the Wolastokuk. We are pleased that the project has reached a significant milestone and that our Nation will benefit from the resulting outcomes," concluded Jacques Tremblay, the Grand Chief of the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation.
As the project enters the construction phase, those who frequent the territory will be able to stay informed about the progress of the work through a weekly bulletin published on the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est and the PPAW project websites, as well as on the social media channels of regional organizations. The publication of the "On the PPAW Site" bulletin will be available once construction work begins.
The PPAW Wind Energy Centre will be constructed throughout 2025 and 2026, with an expected commercial operation date in late 2026. The project will create 350 jobs during construction and 23 permanent jobs over 30 years. In addition, Quebec-based Marmen Énergie’s manufacturing activities in Matane resumed, with 80 employees already on the job. A total of 100 jobs will be created with the start of production of the project’s wind towers. Throughout the life of the project, the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est member communities will receive an estimated $137 million, and the project's host communities will receive $45 million in fixed payments.
About Invenergy
Invenergy is accelerating cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, build, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation, transmission and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Headquartered in Chicago, Invenergy has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Poland, and Scotland.
Invenergy and its affiliated companies have successfully developed more than 32,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure and natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects.
About the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est
Bringing together 209 municipalities and territories, from the MRC of Montmagny to the Magdalen Islands, as well as the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation, the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est ensures the participation of Eastern Quebec communities in renewable electricity production projects on their territories.
The Alliance is part of the community's desire to take charge and increase its participation in the energy development of Eastern Quebec, thus giving the local community the means to achieve its ambitions, in addition to promoting better planning of the territory and its energy production and transportation infrastructures. It is this same vision that has allowed Est-du-Québec to stand out on the national stage as a leader in innovation, development, and exploitation of the collective wealth represented by renewable energies.
Contact:
Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est
Lou Landry
Conseiller aux communications
llandry@alliance-est.ca
Tél. 418 364-0844, poste 106
Cell. 581 886-3424
Invenergy
media@invenergy.com