1550-Mw La Romaine Complex Under Way

Shovels are in the ground for what is being called “the biggest construction project in Canada.” Hydro-Quebec’s $6.5-billion La Romaine hydroelectric project will build four reservoir-powered plants and a permanent 150-kilo-metre long road.

The complex is on the Romaine River, north of Havre-Saint-Pierre, 200- kilometres east of Sept-les in the Cte- Nord region.

After the four plants are completed in 2020, the complex will have 1550 MW capacity and will generate 8 TWh of electricity a year.

Partnership agreements with four Innu communities in the affected area have been signed to carry forward the project, and its approval came with extensive environmental mitigation requirements estimated to cost $200 million. The mitigation aspects cover fish and caribou protection, reforestation and the creation of wetlands. Massive environmental monitoring will be done until 2040.

Consulting engineers Genivar, Tecsult and Environnement Illimit did the environmental impact study which went to a joint federal-provincial panel and was approved this spring. A consortium of RSW/SNC-Lavalin is designing the first component, Romaine-2.