Legault opposes the 3.6% increase in residential electricity rates
Posted March 7, 2025 9:42 am.
Last Updated March 7, 2025 10:20 am.
There is no question of residential electricity rates increasing by 3.6 per cent as of April 1, Premier François Legault has decided, reiterating his desire for the increase to be limited to 3 per cent.
On Thursday, the Régie de l’énergie rejected Hydro-Québec’s proposal to cap the increase in residential electricity rates at 3 per cent and instead opted for an increase of 3.6 per cent as of April 1.
Reacting to this decision on Thursday evening, Legault took to social media to hammer home that “it is out of the question.”
“As long as I am premier, residential rates will not increase by more than 3 per cent annually. I will find a solution with the government team and Hydro-Québec,” he said.
La Régie de l’énergie a décrété que les tarifs résidentiels d’électricité allaient augmenter de 3,6%. Il n’en est pas question. Tant que je serai premier ministre, les tarifs résidentiels n’augmenteront pas de plus de 3% annuellement. Je vais trouver une solution avec l’équipe…
— François Legault (@francoislegault) March 7, 2025
For her part, Quebec Minister of Economy and Energy, Christine Fréchette, added that the government will assess the means at its disposal to ensure that Hydro-Québec limits the increase in residential rates to 3 per cent.
The Legault government has repeatedly committed to maintaining the annual increase in electricity rates at 3 per cent for residential customers, advocating instead for larger increases for businesses in order to meet Hydro-Québec’s needs.
However, the Régie has determined that “rate increases that do not reflect the growth in Hydro-Québec’s required revenues are arbitrary and do not allow it to set fair and reasonable rates.”
It has therefore set the increases to come into effect on April 1 at 3.6 per cent for residential customers, 3.6 per cent for commercial and institutional customers, and 1.7 per cent for large-power industrial customers.
For commercial and industrial customers, the increases will be less significant than what was requested by Hydro-Québec, namely increases of 3.9 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively.
Hydro-Québec has already announced that the Régie de l’énergie’s decision will be appealed “in order to limit residential rate increases to 3 per cent.”
“This decision is not consistent with the social, economic and political context of Québec,” the Crown corporation stated in a press release.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
