As part of its wind power development strategy to rapidly increase renewable electricity production capacity in Québec, Hydro-Québec confirmed on December 11, 2025, that it would launch a new call for tenders in the spring of 2026.

This call for tenders builds on Hydro-Québec’s 2024 wind power procurement process under its Action Plan 2035, which aims to add more than 10,000 MW of wind generation capacity by 2035 to meet growing electricity demand driven by Québec’s electrification. This expansion would nearly triple Hydro-Québec’s current wind power capacity of approximately 4,000 MW.

Scope and schedule of the call for tenders

Hydro-Québec’s A/O 2026-01 call for tenders will officially launch in the spring of 2026 and will follow these steps:

  • Publication of preliminary documentation and public consultation period
  • Preparatory and technical conferences scheduled for early April 2026
  • Opening of the tender registration period in April 2026
  • Filing of bid analysis fees in June 2026

Hydro-Québec's A/O 2026-01 is a tender offer (appel d'offres) to acquire 5 to 10 TWh of wind energy. It focuses on smaller-scale, community-partnered projects with high local economic benefits, set for commissioning between 2031 and 2038.

The selected projects must be commissioned according to a schedule staggered between 2031 and 2038, depending on the target allocation round, with the call for tenders providing for up to three allocation rounds. This schedule gives developers an extended development horizon for structuring, financing, social acceptability, and obtaining the necessary authorizations. These projects, which differ from the very large-scale wind projects for which Hydro-Québec acts as project manager, will be smaller in scope and developed in partnership with local communities.

Key evaluation criteria

When evaluating projects, greater importance will be given to Québec content and local economic benefits. Social acceptability will remain a determining factor—only projects that have clear municipal support and are, ideally, developed in partnership with municipalities and First Nations, will be selected. It is clear that public consultation will be a decisive step prior to the submission of bids, with the associated bidding costs.

However, there is growing resistance in communities that are affected by wind farm projects. For the past two years, projects reviewed by the Bureau d'audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), Québec’s Environmental Public Hearings Office, have faced varying degrees of acceptability issues and increased demand for the development of a methodology that takes into account the cumulative effects of wind projects. This trend exposes bidders to the vagaries of a national public debate on the position that wind power occupies in Québec's energy portfolio. This debate may affect project costs or timelines, but its outcomes remain difficult for bidders to predict.

To discuss this tendering process or any other aspect of the energy sector in Québec, please contact the authors.