Quebec
Hydro-Québec; Régie de l'énergie regulates tariffs
Route to power. Ministerial authorization. A project of 5 MW or more needs the government’s authorization, judged against seven published criteria. There is no published cap or queue. Entry is a decision, not a place in line.
How you connect
Hydro-Québec connects the project, but the government decides whether it gets power. You file Hydro-Québec’s form for projects of 5 MW and more with both Hydro-Québec and the economy ministry, which review it together. The answer is a conditional pre-authorization, a refusal, or a deferral that keeps the request open. While power is tight, projects are compared on the benefit they bring for each megawatt. The process is set out on the government’s authorization page.
Hydro-Québec publishes no connection time for a load this size.
Where there is room
Local transmission is the hard limit. Hydro-Québec’s December 2025 map of 13 industrial zones shows only five with 100 MW or more to spare without upgrades: Sept-Îles (150 MW), Chibougamau (120 MW), and Baie-Comeau, Beauharnois and Montréal-Est (100 MW each). Even there, a paid connection study sets the final scope, cost and schedule, and the spare capacity is not guaranteed.
What it costs
Hydro-Québec has filed a data centre rate of about 13 cents per kWh, roughly double the large-power rate, with a five-year phase-in for existing data centres. The Régie de l’énergie opened hearings on it on 1 October 2026, with more set for December; there is no decision yet. Large customers that use less than 60% of their reserved capacity over a year also face a charge, which some operators are challenging in court.
Bringing your own power
Allowed when it supplies only your own site. Since June 2025 the law says plainly that anyone may use the electricity they produce. Selling it to anyone else is still restricted.
Latest
The Parti Québécois won a minority government on 5 October 2026, so the next authorizations come from a new government.
What has happened
Projects we track
| Project | Status | Announced | Energized | Target online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QScale Q01 Campus | Operating | 142 MW | Not stated | 2022 |
| Vantage Quebec City Campus | Construction | 86 MW | Not stated | 2027 |
| Gatineau Data Hub | Not approved | 50 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Keel Sherbrooke, Bunker | Operating | 48 MW | 48 MW | Not stated |
| eStruxture MTL-2 | Operating | 30 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Vantage Montreal III | Operating | 30 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Keel Sherbrooke, Léger | Operating | 30 MW | 30 MW | Not stated |
| HIVE Lachute | Operating | 30 MW | 30 MW | Not stated |
| Cologix MTL9 | Operating | 25 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Keel Baie-Comeau | Operating | 22 MW | 22 MW | Not stated |
| Cologix MTL8 | Operating | 21 MW | Not stated | Not stated |
| Keel Sherbrooke, Garlock | Operating | 18 MW | 18 MW | Not stated |
| Keel Magog | Operating | 10 MW | 10 MW | Not stated |
| Google Beauharnois Data Center | Announced | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| OVHcloud BHS Campus | Operating | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Microsoft Lévis Data Centre | Construction | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Microsoft Donnacona Data Centre | Construction | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
| Microsoft L’Ancienne-Lorette Data Centre | Construction | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
Announced is what the company has said it will build. Energized is what is drawing power today. This is the list of projects we follow, not every project in the province.
Updated 2026-10-13.