Hydro-Québec’s greenwashing game
“IN A RECENT COMMENTARY PIECE, “Sierra Club fires back on Québec hydro,” the Sierra Club explained why electricity imported from Québec is not clean. The focus was on the adverse environmental impacts directly related to flooding large areas of land for hydroelectricity. But that’s only part of the story. As a result of Hydro-Québec’s ability to arbitrage between markets and greenwash its electrons, Massachusetts ratepayers could be signing up to pay a sizable “clean energy” premium in exchange for no net environmental benefit. . . .
. . . Energy sales, under the current version of the Massachusetts contracts with Hydro-Québec, would be a wealth transfer from the Commonwealth’s electricity ratepayers to the government of Québec for little, and possibly even adverse, environmental impact. ”
