UPDATED WITH INTERVIEW: A program armed with over $5 billion to support wind energy projects developed in partnership with Indigenous communities has been launched by Hydro-Québec, with funding from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB) and National Bank of Canada.

Announced Thursday morning, the program is designed to support Indigenous communities in Quebec that have entered into a partnership agreement with Hydro-Québec as part of its Wind Power Development Strategy.

The strategy establishes the utility’s ambition to install over 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new wind power generation by 2035 and develop projects with a generation capacity of over 1,000 MW.

The financing package is to be made available to Indigenous communities through a joint offering by the CIB and National Bank.

Indigenous communities have faced obstacles in accessing private capital, including for renewable energy development. The program is meant to help overcome such a limitation and serve as part of Hydro-Quebec’s Indigenous reconciliation plan, Audrey St-Pierre, a spokesperson with the utility, said in an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada.

“Indigenous communities clearly expressed their desire to play a greater role in Québec's major energy projects,” Claudine Bouchard, president and CEO of Hydro-Québec, said in the announcement. “This program directly addresses that request and clearly demonstrates our commitment to giving everyone who wishes to contribute with us to Québec's energy development the opportunity to do so.”

How funding will be distributed

The CIB’s investment in the program is to be made through a construction loan that can cover up to 20 per cent of project costs and be repaid primarily through federal tax credits, and an Indigenous Equity Initiative loan that can fund up to 90 per cent of the required equity contribution with a $100-million cap per project.

National Bank’s contribution is a financing program that covers the remaining 10 per cent in the Indigenous Equity Initiative loan.

The program’s funding is designed to let Indigenous communities become investment partners in clean energy infrastructure and generate recurring income.

There are currently five projects in the exploratory stage that would be eligible for the funding program, St-Pierre said. Altogether, the projects have the potential to generate over 12,500 MW.

“We are assessing a broader potential in order to get the necessary flexibility to reach that 10,000 MW,” she said.

Hydro-Québec will work with the Indigenous communities through the program and, if they desire, aid in their dealings with financial institutions.

Wind expected to lead Québec’s renewables development

A report from the Canada Energy Regulator published in late 2025 projected wind energy to comprise approximately 70 per cent of planned renewable power additions in Canada over the next five years.

It anticipated Québec will be a leader in the space, raising its wind energy capacity from 4,192 MW in 2025 to 7,736.5 MW in 2030.

Wind is a “big winner” because it can be built in many provinces “incredibly cost effectively,” Evan Pivnick, the clean energy program manager of Clean Energy Canada, previously told Sustainable Biz Canada.

One such wind project being built in partnership between a private developer and an Indigenous community in Québec is a 102 MW installation named Mesgi'g Ugju's'n 2. Being developed alongside Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. and the Mi'gmawei Mawiomi Business Corporation (MMBC), it is an extension of the 150 MW Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n wind project.

Both projects are under equal partnerships between Innergex and MMBC.