Apuiat Wind Farm, a 50-50 partnership between the Innu communities and Boralex, has entered commercial operation on the traditional territory of the Uashat mak Mani-utenam First Nation.
The 200MW project, featuring 34 Vestas V162 turbines rated at 6MW each, is the first wind farm built in Quebec’s Côte-Nord region and the first large-scale installation commissioned in the province since 2018, according to Boralex.
Electricity from the facility is supplied to Hydro-Quebec under a 30-year power purchase agreement.
Apuiat will generate enough power for about 150,000 people and deliver long-term benefits to local communities, with the Innu receiving 50% of net earnings over the project’s lifetime. Royalties of €670,000 per year will be shared equally between the Uashat mak Mani-utenam First Nation and the municipality of Port-Cartier.
More than €13m in contracts were awarded to Indigenous businesses, with over 300 workers mobilised during construction and 11 long-term jobs created locally.
A wind maintenance training programme was developed in collaboration with the Mitshapeu Training Centre, Groupe Collegia and Vestas to build local expertise.
Innu Chief of Energy Matters Martin Dufour said the project “symbolizes collective effort, movement and common direction”, adding: “This is our first national energy project, but certainly not the last.”
Boralex president and CEO Patrick Decostre said Apuiat “is a model of partnership and business that truly reflects our core values”, describing it as a tangible example of shared value creation and “a milestone in Quebec’s energy transition”.
An official inauguration ceremony will take place in spring 2026 to mark the completion of the wind farm and its contribution to the province’s renewable energy goals.