Hydro-Québec wishes to clarify certain facts concerning the Péribonka project

Further to the release of a large number of articles in the media, Hydro-Québec wishes to clarify certain facts about the construction of Péribonka generating facility, in Lac-St-Jean, which began in 2004 and ended in 2008.

Péribonka: a commercial success

It is important to keep in mind that the Péribonka project was a great success. At a total value of $1.2 billion, it was completed on budget and three months ahead of schedule.

Furthermore, the project generated important economic spin-offs on the order of $557 million for the Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean region. The project also allowed for the hiring of more than 700 people every year during the construction period, from 2004 to 2008. At the peak of construction, 1,345 workers were on the jobsite.

A challenging project: specialized, customized work

It is important to recall the context for the construction work.

The project was located on the Rivière Péribonka, upstream of Alcan’s Chute des Passes generating station. This site, whose potential was long known, is located over a very deep geological fault which had to be sealed. The project thus included the installation of a plastic-concrete cutoff wall at a depth of 110 m beneath the dam to ensure watertightness: a world first.

The work, at a depth never before seen anywhere in the world, required sophisticated equipment belonging to the German company Bauer, selected following an international call for proposals:

• Vibrating compactors. Québec workers were trained to use them and thus were able to operate the equipment.

• Shearers, used by crane operators, are designed and owned by Bauer. In this specific case, the sophisticated equipment had to be operated by specialized workers with specific expertise in the field and several years’ work experience. The workers hired by Bauer had temporary work cards issued by the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ).

In this context, Bauer came to an agreement with union representatives. The amount paid to Bauer is minor, considering the total value of the project and the fact that the generating station was commissioned ahead of schedule. 

It is the responsibility of contractors to take necessary measures to maintain labor peace on jobsites and take on the costs associated with such measures in their contract. In the case of Bauer in Péribonka, any work stoppage would have led to significant losses for Hydro-Québec, with repercussions on agreements with other contractors on the jobsite.

Much of the information made public yesterday comes from Hydro-Québec, which has been cooperating fully with the Charbonneau Commission since the beginning of its work.

Zero Tolerance Policy

With regards to the allegations of the climate of intimidation on Québec’s jobsites, Hydro-Québec adopted a Zero Tolerance Policy in 2009, following certain incidents mentioned yesterday. The policy is integrated into the contracts that bind Hydro-Québec with its contractors on large jobsites. It defines a set of measures that can be implemented by contractors to deal with cases of intimidation or harassment. A number of cases have since been handled.

At all times, Hydro-Québec maintains social peace on its jobsites and encourages communication among the companies involved on these worksites to ensure that work is carried out properly, within prescribed deadlines and budgets.