Annual Report growing strong Hydro-Québec | Annual Report growing strong On April , , Hydro-Québec boldly and resolutely took its fi rst steps. Since then, our company has been through several surges in its development — times of change and maturation marked by challenges that forged a sense of commitment in men and women determined to build on the heritage left to them by their predecessors. Today, years later, we’re still as energetic and driven. Hydro-Québec is a major producer, transmission provider and distributor of electricity. It conducts research and promotional activities in the areas of energy and energy transformation and conservation, as well as all other energy-related fi elds. The Québec government is its sole shareholder. The company has separated its core operations into six divisions. It now competes freely with other power producers, while its transmission and distribution activities remain regulated. Financial Highlights Corporate Administration Highlights Corporate Management Message from the Board of Directors Chairman of the Board Corporate Governance and the President and Report of Activities of Chief Executive Offi cer the Board of Directors Review of Operations and Board Committees Hydro-Québec Production Code of Ethics and Rules of Professional Conduct for Hydro-Québec Pétrole et gaz Directors, Executives and Hydro-Québec TransÉnergie Controllers of Hydro-Québec Hydro-Québec Distribution Generating and Hydro-Québec Équipement Transmission Facilities Hydro-Québec Technologie Major Facilities (map) et développement industriel Sustainable Development On the cover: Eastmain-. The site of the future generating station, Financial Review seen from the tailrace. The tailrace Management’s Discussion will channel the turbine discharge and Analysis back into the Eastmain River. Consolidated Financial Statements Supplementary Information Financial Highlights $M 2004 2003 Change (%) Operations and dividends Revenue 10,698 10,509 2 Net income 2,435 1,938 26 Dividends declared 1,350 965 40 Balance sheet Total assets 58,036 57,731 1 Long-term debt, including current portion 34,469 35,980 (4) Shareholder’s equity 16,220 15,128 7 Cash fl ows Operating activities 4,000 3,795 5 Investing activities (2,130) (2,313) (8) Financing activities (1,957) (1,581) 24 Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 94 192 (51) % Ratios Return on equity 15.5 13.2 2.3 Average cost of debt 7.3 8.0 (0.7) Return on revenue 22.8 18.4 4.4 Capitalization 32.8 29.9 2.9 Self-fi nancing 74.2 53.1 21.1 Sales, Average Rate Increase Net Income* and Dividends Declared Investments in Fixed and Index and Consumer Price Index Return on Equity* and Capitalization* Intangible Assets $M $M % $M 1,350 % $M 3,226 2,435 3,052 12,153 2,400 20 12,000 11,497 120 1,200 3,000 18 33 10,698 10,575 10,509 2,100 1,938 965 10,000 115 16 1,000 2,500 2,393 1,800 32.8 31 14 1,585 15.5 114.7 8,000 110 1,500 800 763 2,000 12 1,769 1,769 112.6 13.2 29 10 109.5 1,200 554 6,000 105 600 29.9 1,500 539 107.2 11.5 869 8 900 27 104.4 4,000 100 591 400 1,000 104.1 6 600 6.5 100 100 100 100 4 25 2,000 95 200 26.2 500 4.4 300 2 25.0 24.9 0 90 0 0 0 23 0 00 01 02 03 04 00 01 02 03 04 00 01 02 03 04 00 01 02 03 04 Sales Net income Dividends declared Average rate increase index Return on equity Capitalization (1998 = 100) Consumer Price Index (1998 = 100) Sales totaled $. billion, up .% Net income rose to $. billion, up Dividends declared amounted to Cash from operations totaled $. billion. over . Revenue generated by rate $ million over . This increase $, million, or .% of net income. Combined with revenue from the sale adjustments eff ective in — the can be attributed to lower fi nancial This will be the eighth consecutive of our interest in Noverco ($ million) fi rst in more than fi ve years — slightly expenses and a gain on the disposal payment to our shareholder and the and our investment in Meiya Power exceeded the decline in sales outside of our interest in Noverco. largest in our history, bringing the Company ($ million), it fi nanced the Québec resulting from eff orts to total amount paid to the Québec repayment of close to $ billion in debt, replenish energy reserves. government since to almost the $-million payout of dividends $. billion. declared in , and $. billion in investments, one of the largest capital outlays in the past years. * Data for to have been restated further to the retroactive effect of the accounting standards governing foreign currency translation and asset retirement obligations. The reported data are presented under Supplementary Information — Five-Year Review. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS , men and women at work In , our energy fl owed from the daily eff orts of , people. In addition to our , employees, thousands of other people were active on construction sites and in other enterprises throughout the province, helping to build Québec’s energy future. Pride. On October , La Grande-, now known as Robert-Bourassa generating station, was the site of an emotion-fi lled ceremony as the world’s largest underground powerhouse celebrated years of operation. Robert-Bourassa was the fi rst of the eight La Grande generating stations to be commissioned. Building the “project of the century” in the James Bay region required the mobilization of human and material resources that overwhelm the imagination to this day. Partnership. On April , we signed a historic agreement with the Crees: the Agreement Concerning a New Relationship between Hydro- Québec/SEBJ and the Crees of Eeyou Istchee. This opened the way to new relations founded on mutual respect, good faith and partnership. Development. On April , the Determination. ground was broken at the site of a new On October , we fi led hydropower project on the Péribonka our Energy Effi ciency River in the Saguenay–Lac-St-Jean Plan – with region. The -MW underground the Régie de l’énergie. generating station will come on stream The plan calls for in . Until then, some workers $ billion in incentives will be busy at the jobsite each year, to encourage customers with the peak workforce reaching to use energy wisely, almost , in . The potential and targets TWh economic spinoff s for the region in savings. are estimated at $ million. HYDROQUÉBEC | ANNUAL REPORT Innovation. Growth. On July , At the Paris Auto Show from we commissioned the fi rst September to October , of three generating units our subsidiary TM at Rocher-de-Grand-Mère was in the spotlight. on the Saint-Maurice River. The Cleanova II, a plug-in The new station has increased hybrid manufactured by our generating capacity the Société de Véhicules by MW. Électriques, and the Quark, made by Peugeot, both feature its drivetrain systems. Accessibility. On September , Platts, a McGraw-Hill company, deemed our website — especially the Customer Services pages — the best in the world, after conducting a two-year survey of public utility websites without their knowledge. Solidarity. On September , we sent line crews to Florida, accompanied by mechanics, clerks, managers and an occupational safety expert. For days, our employees helped their American counterparts rebuild the power grids damaged by hurricanes Frances and Ivan. Supply. Reliability. On October , we In January, the province of Québec announced the eight bids experienced a cold spell of Siberian accepted for the supply intensity that drove electricity of MW of wind power. consumption up dramatically. Six were from Cartier Wind At : p.m. on January , the load Energy and the other two reached an unprecedented , MW. from Northland Power/ The grid was severely tested but Northland Power Income showed its mettle. Throughout Fund. The power will be the days of bitter cold, the public delivered from December responded to our call by cutting to . power consumption at critical times. HIGHLIGHTS Message from the Chairman of the Board and the President and Chief Executive Offi cer Exciting results Hydro-Québec ended the year with net income Major projects of $, million, compared with $, million in The past year confi rmed the resumption of major . This $-million increase is mainly attributable hydroelectric development projects. Rocher- to a reduction of $ million, or .% , in our de-Grand-Mère generating station went into fi nancial expenses as well as a gain of $ million operation, while work proceeded on Eastmain-, stemming from the sale of our stake in Noverco. Péribonka, Toulnustouc and Mercier. In , our Revenue totaled $, million, up $ million projects under construction had a total value of from last year. The rate adjustments approved by some $ billion and generated economic spinoff s the Régie de l’énergie (Energy Board) off set the in excess of $ million in various regions of decline in exports. We cut back our short-term sales the province. They will add more than TWh to outside Québec during the fi rst six months of the our annual energy output by . Two other year and increased our purchases of electricity in projects are awaiting approval: the Eastmain--A order to replenish our energy reserves, which had powerhouse and Rupert diversion project, which been aff ected by low runoff in recent years. However, includes the construction of Sarcelle powerhouse, a slackening of domestic industrial demand, due to and the Chute-Allard and Rapides-des-Cœurs plant closings and a labor dispute in an electricity- development project on the Saint-Maurice River. intensive sector, as well as the improvement in We also continued studies for a complex of four our energy reserves, allowed a cautious return generating stations to be built on the Romaine River.