Hydro-Québec says it will continue seeking higher electricity rates for data centres and cryptocurrency miners after a court decision struck down governmental decrees that supported the plan.
The utility is asking the province’s energy regulator to approve a new, higher rate for data centres, and to raise the rate for cryptocurrency mining projects.
The provincial government published two decrees in early 2026 expressing support for both increases.
Quebec Superior Court Justice Élif Oral ruled on Monday that the government overstepped when it published the decrees.
The judge writes in her decision that while the government can express concerns to the province’s energy regulator, it can’t impose an outcome.
Hydro-Québec says it maintains its request to hike rates for data centres and cryptocurrency miners, believing it would be positive for the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 29, 2026.
By Marieke Glorieux-Stryckman | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.