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BEAUPRÉ — Construction on a major wind farm northeast of Quebec City has been officially launched, with an investment of $3 billion.
The first two phases of the Des Neiges wind farm — the southern sector and the Charlevoix sector — will comprise a total of 114 turbines and generate 800 Megawatts of wind energy, enough to power 140,000 homes.
The project by Quebec’s hydro utility, Boralex, and Énergir — the largest natural gas distributor in the province — is to be located on the grounds of the Séminaire de Québec in the Charlevoix region.
The third phase, if completed, will bring the farm’s output to 1,200 Megawatts and contribute Hydro-Québec’s goal of adding 10,000 MW of wind power to its current portfolio of 4,000 MW by 2035.
When the two first phases are ready, Hydro-Québec has agreed to pay developer Boralex and its partners less than 7.8 cents per kilowatt-hour, but the utility didn’t want to release specific figures.
The Des Neiges south project is scheduled to come online by the end of 2027, while the Charlevoix sector is targeted for late 2028.
Quebec Premier François Legault was on hand for the launch and said, “If we act intelligently, the next century could be Quebec’s century from an economic standpoint.”
“Energy is the most important global issue. Every country, including Donald Trump’s country, is seeking energy,” he told reporters in Beaupré, Que., referring to the United States. “It’s a race currently taking place around the world.”
About ten wind farms are currently under development across Quebec, noted Hydro-Québec president Claudine Bouchard.
Representatives from the Innu and Wendat communities attended the news conference and praised the initiative. Wendat Chief Pierre Picard spoke of a “respectful partnership process.”
The two phases will employ 500 workers during the construction period. The wind turbines will be 200 meters tall and have a capacity of 7 MW each. The area where the farm will be located covers 1,600 square kilometres.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2026.
Patrice Bergeron, The Canadian Press
