Integrated Enhancement Program Powering communities

The Integrated Enhancement Program (IEP) was created to enhance and maintain sites in communities affected by new transmission facilities. Hydro‑Québec provides eligible organizations affected by our projects with funding for community-chosen initiatives.

Discover the program

Power transmission facilities such as lines and substations should blend harmoniously into their environment. Careful site selection along with the appropriate mitigation measures help keep the adverse impacts of Hydro-Québec's projects to a minimum.

At the same time, it sees its projects as opportunities to work with the host communities to improve their quality of life and the surrounding environment.

Through its Integrated Enhancement Program (IEP), Hydro‑Québec grants eligible organizations funding (referred to as allocated funding) to enable them to carry out initiatives in which local residents have had a say.

Integrated Enhancement Program (IEP)

This one-minute animated video provides an overview of the benefits of the IEP and the enhancement projects carried out all over Québec.

Running time: 1 minute

Transmission facilities covered

  • New overhead transmission lines (≥49 kV)
  • Overhead transmission lines whose initial operating voltage has been increased
  • A new double-circuit line built to replace a parallel single-circuit line
  • New aboveground substations, including indoor substations, or overhead-underground junction substations (overhead part only)
  • A substation built at the same location with an increase in the operating voltage

Eligible organizations

An eligible organization is any municipal authority directly affected by a new energy transmission facility located in one or more regional county municipalities (MRC), in an agglomeration or in one or more of a city's boroughs.

An eligible municipal authority may, if it so wishes, delegate its responsibilities to the municipal authorities on which it depends (for example, a borough may delegate its responsibilities to its city, or a municipality to its MRC).

Allocated funding

The allocated funding corresponds to an amount per kilometre of a new transmission line and a lump sum based on the area occupied by a new substation. These amounts are indexed periodically:

New transmission line
Line voltage Amount per kilometre
49 kV to 230 kV $38,808
315 kV to 735 kV $50,568
New substation
Substation ground surface area Flat rate
5,000 m2 to 17,000 m2

And entire footprint in the case of an indoor substation

$176,400
17,001 m2 to 50,000 m2 $352,800
50,001 m2 to 150,000 m2 $588,000
150,001 m2 and up $1,176,000

Participant's Guide

Learn more about our Integrated Enhancement Program for eligible organizations

Completed projects

For over 30 years, the IEP has helped develop, maintain, repair and enhance communities. Thanks to this program, people of all ages are playing, skating, cycling, reading, laughing, thinking, discovering and gathering across Québec.

1 of 4
Advanced water development with long benches and planted sections, providing users with an unobstructed view of the Rivière Rimouski under a clear sky.
Breakwater on the Rivière Rimouski
A cyclist enjoys a bike ride on a sunny day on the TransTerrebonne bike path, riding past a wooden structure at a shady rest stop.
Rest stop on the TransTerrebonne bike path
Families enjoy themselves on a beautiful day in the park, surrounded by ground-level water jets, picnic tables and lush green trees.
Development of the Place Paul‑Déjean
A wooden pedestrian bridge spanning a river and surrounded by trees bathed in sunlight.
Chute à Ménard pedestrian bridge in Saint‑Michel‑des‑Saints

Contact us

Would you like to continue the conversation? Please feel free to submit your questions and comments about the program.

Henri Jarque

IEP Coordinator

jarque.henri@hydroquebec.com