Prime Minister Mark Carney is scheduled to visit St. John’s on Monday to engage with Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham and Quebec Premier Christine Fréchette in connection with an upcoming announcement related to energy security and economic development. Recent discussions have intensified regarding a potential new agreement concerning Churchill Falls energy. Fréchette’s visit to Newfoundland has been confirmed by Radio-Canada for the signing of a pact.
Wakeham’s office released a statement on Saturday evening confirming the attendance of Fréchette, Quebec’s Energy Minister Bernard Drainville, and Hydro-Québec’s president and CEO Claudine Bouchard at the meeting on Monday. Hydro-Québec issued an invitation to reporters for a closed-door briefing on Quebec’s energy security announcement on Monday at 11 a.m., to be conducted by Dave Rhéaume, Hydro-Québec’s executive vice-president.
A media technical briefing is set to take place in Ottawa at 10:30 a.m. by Natural Resources Canada. The announcement by Wakeham’s office is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. in St. John’s. Furthermore, the Prime Minister’s office confirmed Carney’s presence at the event.
Sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, have disclosed that the new agreement includes a guaranteed transmission access of 985 megawatts through Quebec, allowing Newfoundland and Labrador to sell up to that capacity to external markets. Quebec is expected to receive around 10,000 megawatts, while Newfoundland and Labrador could secure a minimum of 2,350 megawatts, potentially reaching 3,000.
The agreement entails enhancing electricity production through the development of a more powerful hydroelectric facility at Gull Island and increasing the turbine capacity at the existing Churchill Falls plant. Notably, the agreement now incorporates wind power, a component absent from the previous memorandum signed in 2024.
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