After the CEO of Hydro-Quebec Éric Martel and the mayor of New York Bill de Blasio himself, now François Legault is particularly interested in the province supplying the largest city in the United States with hydro -electricity.
“We are at the beginning of the process,” however qualified Mr. Legault when he arrived at the Jewish Museum in New York on Sunday, where he was to visit an exhibition on Leonard Cohen.
“We will not be negotiating prices. We want to see if there is a way to speed up the negotiation process ”, added the Prime Minister.
Failing to meet Mr. de Blasio who is in the midst of the electoral campaign for the 2020 US presidential election, Mr. Legault will meet on Monday Dean Fuleihan, number 2 in the metropolis.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the objective of his visit was to seek to double the supply of hydroelectricity to New York, of which 5% of the energy currently comes from Quebec.
We know we have surpluses and we are targeting three markets: New York State and City, New England and Ontario.
Asked whether a possible contract would lead to the construction of an underground or open-air power line to the United States, the Prime Minister said he was open to all possibilities.
According to Mr. Legault, the duration of the potential contract will have an impact on this decision since a long-term agreement would make it easier to amortize infrastructure costs.
Mr. Legault acknowledged that a political offensive to sell surplus hydroelectric power to the United States could come up against a major obstacle, namely the market for shale natural gas, a much more affordable resource for Americans.
“It completely changed the energy market. When I speak to Charlie Baker, the governor of Massachusetts, he considers gas as a competition for Hydro-Quebec. For hydroelectricity, the prices are quite competitive with gas, but in addition it is green, it is renewable, which is not the case with gas. “
The Prime Minister added that his delegation had “work to do” to convince the federal government that hydroelectricity is an economically profitable alternative and much more efficient in peak periods than other green alternatives such as wind power. or solar energy.
Private investments sought
In addition to meeting politicians, François Legault will take advantage of his visit to the United States to meet “about twenty” private companies.
“We want, in the coming years, to catch up by exploding private investment”, argued the Prime Minister.
According to him, “the financial incentives will be better than ever” for investing in Quebec.
Mr. Legault reiterated his goal of increasing the number of good-paying jobs in the province.
During his four-day visit to the United States, the Quebec premier is also due to meet with New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul in addition to U.S. government officials in Washington on Wednesday to discuss the lifting of tariffs on steel and aluminum.
–
