Integrated Energy Resource Management Plan 2026–2050: What Québec’s New Energy Policy Means for Organizations

The Quebec government recently unveiled its Integrated Energy Resource Management Plan (PGIRE) 2026–2050, which will serve as the province’s new energy policy framework for the coming decades.

This roadmap is designed to strengthen Quebec’s energy security, support economic growth, and accelerate the transition to carbon neutrality. For businesses, institutions, and energy sector stakeholders, the PGIRE also outlines the strategic directions that will shape energy investments, programs, and decision-making in the years ahead.

Energy Efficiency Takes Center Stage

One of the clearest messages of the PGIRE is that energy efficiency is now recognized as a resource in its own right.

By 2050, Québec aims to achieve:

50 TWh of electricity savings through energy efficiency measures

14 TWh of natural gas savings through energy efficiency initiatives

Significant investments in the modernization of buildings and industrial processes

This direction reinforces the importance of reducing energy consumption before expanding energy supply.

Beyond energy savings, these initiatives can also deliver substantial benefits for participants, businesses, and society as a whole. However, organizations must be able to measure these outcomes and understand the factors that drive success.

In this context, program evaluation plays a critical role. It helps organizations better understand participant experiences, monitor market developments, validate program impacts, and identify opportunities for improvement to maximize the return on energy investments.

Learn more about our Program Evaluation services

An Energy Landscape in Transition

Although overall energy consumption is expected to decline slightly by 2050, electricity demand will continue to grow as electrification accelerates.

Transportation will continue shifting toward electric technologies, while several industrial sectors—including data centers, battery manufacturing, and resource processing industries—are expected to require substantially more energy.

To meet these evolving needs, Québec will have to develop new energy supply sources while making better use of existing resources.

This creates opportunities for projects that combine energy efficiency, demand-side management, waste heat recovery, and other innovative energy solutions.

Energy Management Becomes a Strategic Advantage

The PGIRE explicitly identifies ISO 50001 as a key tool for improving organizational energy productivity.

As a result, organizations will increasingly be encouraged to adopt a structured approach to energy management in order to:

Reduce operating costs

Improve energy performance

Enhance competitiveness

Support decarbonization objectives

For many organizations, this represents an opportunity to move beyond isolated energy initiatives and adopt a continuous improvement approach to energy performance.

Learn more about energy management systems and ISO 50001 certification

New Opportunities for Energy Programs and Projects

The PGIRE calls for major investments in energy infrastructure, bioenergy, energy flexibility, and innovation.

In this environment, organizations responsible for energy programs will need robust analysis and evidence-based decision-making to ensure investments are directed effectively and deliver maximum value.

The plan also recognizes the importance of the economic and social benefits associated with energy efficiency initiatives— not just energy savings alone. Yet these broader impacts are still frequently overlooked when evaluating projects.

Energy efficiency investments can generate a wide range of non-energy benefits, including:

Improved workplace health, safety, and well-being

Enhanced product quality

Increased employee and equipment productivity

Reduced unplanned production downtime

Too often, these impacts remain invisible in investment decisions, causing high-value projects to be delayed or overlooked. By identifying, quantifying, and showcasing non-energy benefits, organizations can build stronger business cases for energy efficiency investments and accelerate the energy transition.

Learn more about the non-energy benefits of energy efficiency projects

Preparing for the Future

The PGIRE establishes a long-term vision for Québec’s energy future that will be updated regularly to reflect evolving technologies, market conditions, and policy priorities.

For organizations, this provides an opportunity to start planning today for the investments and initiatives that will support future growth and resilience. Organizations that act early by integrating energy efficiency, energy management, and decarbonization strategies into their decision-making processes will be better positioned to succeed in this rapidly changing energy landscape.

In this context, tools such as ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® (ESPM) are becoming increasingly important for centralizing building data, benchmarking performance, and supporting regulatory reporting requirements.

At Econoler, we help organizations implement and use ESPM to:

Structure and manage energy data across their building portfolios
Support compliance with building performance reporting requirements
Streamline performance tracking and portfolio-wide energy management

The value of ESPM extends far beyond compliance. By transforming data into actionable insights, organizations can make more informed decisions about their buildings and energy investments. With a structured approach to data management and performance analysis, organizations can:

✔️ Identify energy performance gaps more quickly

✔️ Prioritize their highest energy-consuming buildings

✔️ Optimize operating costs

✔️ Accelerate the planning and implementation of decarbonization strategies

Webinar: Understanding the Implications of the PGIRE

Interested in exploring what the PGIRE means for Québec organizations?

Join Geneviève Gauthier, Director of Consulting at Econoler, for a webinar discussing the plan’s key directions and what they mean for businesses, institutions, and energy sector stakeholders. Please note this webinar is offered in French only.

Register for the webinar: HEC WEBINAIRE | Plan de gestion intégrée des ressources énergétiques (PGIRE) – Avis d’experts