Editing James Bay Project (section)

== The project ==

=== Phase I ===
The period of construction of the first phase of the project covered about 14 years. By 1986, the largest power stations and reservoirs on the La Grande River were mostly completed, including the [[Robert-Bourassa generating station|Robert-Bourassa]] (originally named La Grande-2), La Grande-3 and La Grande-4 generating stations, with an installed capacity of 10,800&nbsp;MW, and five reservoirs covering an area of 11,300&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. The Eastmain and Caniapiscau river diversions each added about 800&nbsp;m<sup>3</sup>/s of water to the La Grande River. The power plants of the first phase of the James Bay Project produce about 65&nbsp;TWh of power each year, operating at about 60% of their maximum rated generating capacity.

During this first phase of construction, over {{convert|155,000,000|m3|cuyd}} of fill, 138,000 tons of steel, 550,000 tons of cement, and nearly 70,000 tons of explosives were used. Concurrent employment by the project reached 18,000. Of the 215 dikes and dams, many surpassed the height of skyscrapers, with one reaching 56 stories. The terraced diversion channel at Robert-Bourassa generating station was carved 30&nbsp;m (one hundred feet) deep into the side of a mountain. Water tumbles from the reservoir to the river below at a height greater than that of Niagara Falls. A {{convert|4,800|km|mi|abbr=on}} network of transmission lines was necessary to bring generated power to consumers in southern Quebec. The network contains several 735-kilovolt lines and one 450-kilovolt DC line directly linked to the U.S. power grid.

=== Phase II ===
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, construction of the second phase of the James Bay project centred on the construction of five secondary power plants on the La Grande River and its tributaries (La Grande-1, La Grande-2A, Laforge-1, Laforge-2 and Brisay), adding a further 5,200&nbsp;MW of generating capacity by the end of 1996. Premier Bourassa estimated that this phase would create 40,000 construction job-years (equivalent to 4,000 jobs lasting 10 years).<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Burns |first1=John F. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1988-03-09 |title=Big Quebec Power Plan In Phase 2 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/09/business/big-quebec-power-plan-in-phase-2.html |access-date=2023-03-11 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Three new reservoirs covering an area of 1,600&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> were created, including the Laforge-1 Reservoir covering 1,288&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. The generating plants of this second phase of the project produce about 18.9&nbsp;TWh of power per year, operating at between 60% and 70% of their maximum rated generating capacity.

On March 13, 1989, a massive [[March 1989 geomagnetic storm|solar storm]] caused a failure of the La Grande complex, plunging most of Quebec into darkness for nine hours.

=== Great Whale River project ===
During the construction of the second phase of the James Bay Project, Hydro-Québec proposed an additional project on the [[Great Whale River]] (French: ''Grande rivière de la Baleine''), just to the north of the La Grande River watershed. Opposition among the Cree was even more vocal this time than in the early 1970s. In 1990, Grand Chief [[Matthew Coon Come]] organized a canoe trip from [[Hudson Bay]] to the [[Hudson River]], in [[Albany, New York]], and this very effective public relations stunt brought international pressure to bear on the government of Quebec. The Cree had experienced considerable culture shock with the introduction of permanent transportation routes to the south and very few Cree were employed on the construction site. Poverty and social problems remained prevalent in the isolated Cree and Inuit villages of Northern Quebec, even in areas where there were no hydroelectric or mining activities.

By the 1980s, the natural ebb and flow of the La Grande, [[Eastmain River|Eastmain]] and [[Caniapiscau River|Caniapiscau]] rivers had been severely modified, notably delaying the formation of a solid ice cover near the Cree village of [[Chisasibi, Quebec|Chisasibi]], and about 4% of the traditional hunting and trapping territories of the Cree had been lost to the rising waters of the reservoirs, including about 10% of the territories of the Cree village of Chisasibi. At the same time, new roads, snowmobiles and bush airlines facilitated access to distant hunting territories of the interior. While highly motivated, the Cree's opposition to the Great Whale River Project was mainly ineffective until 1992 when the [[State of New York]] withdrew from a multibillion-dollar power purchasing agreement due to public outcry and a decrease in energy requirements. In 1994, the Government of Quebec and Hydro-Québec suspended the project indefinitely.<ref>{{harvnb|Froschauer|1999|p=77}}</ref>

=== Rupert River diversion ===
In 2002, the Quebec government and the Grand Council of the Crees signed a landmark agreement, "[[La Paix des Braves]]" (literally "The Peace of the Braves"), ensuring the completion of the last phase of the original James Bay Project: construction of the Eastmain-1 generating station, with a capacity of 480&nbsp;MW, and the [[Eastmain Reservoir]] with a surface area of about {{cvt|600|sqkm}}.

A subsequent agreement in April 2004 put an end to all litigation between the two parties and opened the way to a joint environmental assessment of the projected diversion of the [[Rupert River]], to the south of the Eastmain River. The project entails the diversion of about 50% of the total water flow of the Rupert River (and 70% of the flow at the diversion point) towards the Eastmain Reservoir and into the La Grande Complex, and the construction of two additional generating stations: Eastmain-1A and Sarcelle, with a combined capacity of 888&nbsp;MW. The Rupert diversion would generate a total of 8.5&nbsp;TWh of electricity at the new and existing power stations.

Former Grand Chief of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) Matthew Mukash<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.radio-canada.ca/actualite/v2/dimanchemag/niveau2_5256.shtml| work= Dimanche Magazine| via= radio-canada.ca| title= Les Cris devant de nouveaux choix énergétiques | trans-title= The Cree are in Front of New Energy Choices | language= fr-ca| publisher= CBC| date= 30 October 2005| access-date= April 28, 2018}}</ref> (elected in late 2005 and served until 2009) opposed the Rupert River diversion and favoured the construction of wind turbines.