Hydro says thank you to holiday

Catherine Montambeault

Thursday, 28 December 2017 23:04

UPDATE
Friday, December 29, 2017 00:18

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The cold wave that is sweeping over Quebec has less impact on electricity consumption as one might think, since many workers are on vacation, according to Hydro-Québec.

The Crown corporation estimates that demand for electricity is expected to range between 36 000 and 37 000 megawatts over the next few days, while the average consumption is about 29 000 megawatts in the winter.

2014

At the beginning of the year 2014, the province had experienced freezing temperatures similar to those that we live currently. On 22 January, the electricity consumption reached a historic peak of nearly 39,000 megawatts.

“It was a week day, so everyone was in the office. What saves us in this moment, is that most people are on vacation, ” explains Louis-Olivier Batty, a spokesperson for Hydro-Québec.

Heating accounts for 55 % of the electricity consumption in Quebec, according to Hydro

– With Benoît Philie