Why We Need Natural Gas

  • Across Quebec, approximately 130,000 households use natural gas, mostly for cooking and for home heating in the winter.
  • The industrial sector in Quebec accounts for approximately 50 percent of the province’s total natural gas consumption. For industries such as aluminum, pulp and paper, agriculture, and textiles, natural gas is a vital component in the manufacturing process. There are more than 2,500 industrial consumers of natural gas in Quebec.
  • Across Quebec, approximately 50,000 businesses and public buildings – including hospitals, schools, universities, and supermarkets – rely on natural gas as an affordable and reliable source of heat, especially in the winter.
  • Currently, 50 percent of Quebec’s energy comes from oil and natural gas – and 100 percent of these resources are imported.
  • Natural gas production in Quebec could create 7,500 new jobs and boost Quebec’s economy by nearly $800 million, all by 2015. By 2025, development could support more than 51,000 jobs and generate up to $1.2 billion in new revenues for the Quebec government.
  • Natural gas has the fewest carbon emissions of all fossil fuels, and Quebec’s natural gas in particular has the lowest carbon content (less than one percent) in all of Canada.