Boeing and RER Hydro to Provide Quebec with Clean Hydrokinetic Power

Boeing and its partner RER Hydro of Montreal have entered into a multiyear agreement with the government of Quebec to provide 40 hydrokinetic turbines that will generate about 9 megawatts of clean, renewable power.

Once completed, the St. Lawrence River near downtown Montreal will have one of the world’s largest river-generated, hydrokinetic turbine farms.

The agreement is the first commercial sale of this technology. RER, which has been testing a prototype in the river for more than three years, will build the turbines in its new manufacturing plant, thus creating the world's first river hydrokinetic manufacturing base in Quebec.

Boeing and RER signed an agreement last year giving Boeing exclusive rights to market and sell the turbines around the world.

Boeing is providing program management, engineering, manufacturing, and supplier-management expertise, in addition to servicing the turbines.

"This agreement between industry and government will deliver renewable power while protecting the environment," said Boeing Defense, Space & Security President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg. "It also builds on Boeing's long-term, strategic partnership with Canada, supporting customers from aerospace and defense to clean energy, generating high-quality jobs, and making a difference in the community."

Imad Hamad, RER’s chief executive officer, added that "Because it’s not a dam, the turbines generate clean power without disrupting the river flow or the natural habitat. Numerous independent studies demonstrate that our technology has no negative impact on fish or other marine life."