page_title: Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission system
section_title: Source of the electricity
hierarchical_section_title: Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission system / Source of the electricity
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: La centrale hydro-électrique Robert-Bourassa (LG-2) et son évacuateur de crues, au Québec. English: La Grande-2 spillway and dam, Quebec, Canada
context_page_description: Hydro-Québec's electricity transmission system is an international power transmission system centred in Quebec, Canada. The system pioneered the use of very high voltage 735 kV alternating current power lines that link the population centres of Montreal and Quebec City to distant hydroelectric power stations like the Daniel-Johnson Dam and the James Bay Project in northwestern Quebec and the Churchill Falls Generating Station in Labrador.
  The system contains more than 34,187 kilometres of lines and 530 electrical substations. It is managed by Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie, a division of the crown corporation Hydro-Québec and is part of the Northeast Power Coordinating Council. It has 17 interconnections with the systems in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and the Northeastern United States and 6,025 MW of interconnection import capacity and 7,974 MW of interconnection export capacity.
  Major expansion of the network began with the commissioning of the 735 kV AC power line in November 1965, as there was a need for electricity transmission over vast distances from the north to southern Quebec.
  Much of Quebec's population is served by a few 735 kV power lines.
context_section_description: Much of the electricity generated by Hydro-Québec Generation comes from hydroelectric dams located far from load centres such as Montreal. Of the 33,000 MW of electrical power generated, over 93% of that comes from hydroelectric dams and 85% of that generation capacity comes from three hydroelectric generation centers: James Bay, Manic-Outardes, and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro's Churchill Falls.
  James Bay
  The James Bay Project encompasses the La Grande project, which is located on the La Grande River and on its tributaries, such as the Eastmain River, in northwestern Quebec. The La Grande project was built in two phases; the first phase lasted twelve years from 1973 to 1985 and the second phase lasted from 1985 to present time. In all, the nine hydroelectric dams there produce over 16,500 MW of electric power, with the Robert-Bourassa or La Grande-2 station generating over 5,600 MW alone. In total, the project cost over C$20 billion to construct.
  Manic-Outardes power stations
  The Manic-Outardes river area in the Côte-Nord or North Shore region consists of several hydroelectric facilities located on three principal rivers, from west to east: Betsiamites River, Rivière aux Outardes, and the Manicouagan River. A single plant named Sainte-Marguerite-3 is located to the east on the Sainte-Marguerite River (Sept-Îles). The facilities located in the region were constructed over a period of five decades, from 1956 to 2005. The total generation capacity from these power stations is 10,500 MW. A 21-MW hydroelectric power station, the Lac-Robertson generating station on the Lower North Shore, is not connected to the main Quebec grid.
  Churchill Falls
  Churchill Falls is a single underground generation station located on the Churchill River near the town of Churchill Falls and the Smallwood Reservoir in Labrador. It was constructed over a period of five to six years from 1966 to 1971–72 by the Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corporation (CFLCo), though generators were installed after major construction was completed. The single generation facility cost C$946 million to construct and produced 5,225 MW of power initially after all eleven generating units were installed. A station upgrade in 1985 raised the generating capacity to over 5,400 MW. Hydro-Québec Generation owns a 34.2% interest in CFLCo, which is the same company that constructed the generating plant. However, Hydro-Québec has rights to most of the 5,400 MW of power the station produces under a 65-year power purchase agreement, expiring in 2041.
caption: The spillway of the Robert-Bourassa Dam (formerly La Grande-2 Dam), one of many hydroelectric dams supplying power to the load centres of Montreal, Quebec City, and the Northeastern United States
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