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A month after the election of the Coalition Avenir Québec, the chair of the board of Hydro-Québec, Michael Penner, has submitted his resignation.

La Presse Canadienne has learned that the lawyer, who was appointed by the Couillard government in 2014 and was supposed to remain in his post until 2023, came to the conclusion that his days were numbered and the new government would replace him.

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It’s unknown if the process to replace Penner has begun. Vice-chair Michelle Cormier, appointed in 2009, also announced her resignation.

As chair, Penner was in favour of the Apuiat wind project on Quebec’s North Shore, while the president and general manager of the corporation believed it was not viable. The file created a discord between the two.

Penner resigned as the Apuiat project was denounced by the government of Premier François Legault, considered too expensive amid a surplus of electricity.

Revelations by Quebecor media outlets of an explosion of external legal fees ordered by the board also factored into the decision, as the new government promised better management. In 2017, the company paid almost $635,000 in lawyers’ fees, compared to $11,000 the previous year, Quebecor reported.

Penner was the first anglophone chair in Hydro-Québec’s history.