Published February 21, 2024

Nelson Sergerie

GASPÉ – Nergica will be housed in a new cutting-edge technology pavilion on the Gaspé campus of the Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles.

The new complex will be one of the first in Quebec to be energy-positive, meaning that it will produce more energy than it consumes, notably with the installation of solar panels on the building.
The $12 million complex will be located near the Polytechnic pavilion.

The Quebec government is contributing $10.7 million to the project, while Nergica will pay the remaining balance of approximately $1.2 million.

“Nergica is essential for the advancement of innovation in Quebec. Nergica is one of the 22 CCTTs (Technology transfer college centres) which focus on renewable energies. To achieve our climate ambitions, technology must be there,” mentioned Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Pierre Fitzgibbon, during his visit to Gaspé on February 9 to announce the funding.

“Hydro-Québec wants to reduce existing consumption by 2000 to 3000 megawatts. Michael Sabia’s plan speaks of 8000 to 9000 megawatts by 2035, of which 2000 to 3000 come from consumption. This perhaps requires more efficient wind production, and interconnection with the Hydro-Québec network to complement hydroelectricity. The technological transfer of a CCTT becomes essential,” adds the minister.

“The building will allow us to accommodate more employees. We are talking about around sixty workers. It will also allow us to go further. More and more, we are part of the energy transition. This building is part of the logic and allows us to experiment with new ways of doing things in terms of effectiveness and efficiency. It is an additional research platform to support businesses and communities,” explains the director of Nergica, Frédéric Côté, on the contribution of this new building.

Their current location, which will be left vacant following the delivery of the building towards the end of summer 2025, will be used for educational purposes.

“Over time, Nergica’s requirements and the training needs of the CEGEP have increased, so much so that we found ourselves faced with a lack of space. The teams designed a building suitable for Nergica,” mentions the director of the CEGEP, Yolaine Arseneau.

“Approximately 600 square metres of space in the Polytechnic pavilion will be modified to mainly accommodate courses in Electrical Engineering Technology, Industrial Maintenance Technology, Adventure Tourism Technology, Forestry Technology and Police Technology programs. Changes will be made to the facility to create classrooms, computer laboratories and simulation rooms specific to the programs,” specifies Ms. Arseneau.

Nergica has been operational for 25 years, it employs approximately 40 individuals and is engaged in about 40 projects annually.

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