Hydro-Quebec, a provincially owned utility in Canada, has applied for a permit to export power bought in the US by its subsidiary HQ Energy Services (HQES) to Canada and Mexico. HQES expects to buy cheap power at off-peak times in the US and fill its pumped storage facilities for later use. HQES expects to receive FERC approval later this month.
In June this year, HQES became a fully fledged member of the New England Power Pool (NEPOOL).
Membership in NEPOOL will provide HQES with direct access to generating capacity in the US and will also enable it to do business in other future NEPOOL markets.
NEPOOL’s main functions are to schedule and operate the New England generation and transmission system, to provide open access to the transmission system and provide a wholesale electricity market in the region.