In 2024, Maxime Aucoin, Executive Vice President and CFO of Hydro-Quebec, faced a series of compounding challenges as the utility confronted rapidly rising electricity demand, public pricing constraints, and strained stakeholder relationships. As the steward of Quebec's state-owned utility, Aucoin was under pressure to expand capacity by 10 GW-nearly 30%-over the next decade, without compromising affordability, political mandates, or public trust. Quebec's decarbonization goals and economic ambitions further complicated the decision-making process. Hydro-Quebec's legacy of low-cost, renewable hydroelectric power, vertically integrated structure, and close ties with government and Indigenous communities positioned it uniquely, but also left little room for error. With aging infrastructure, unpredictable service quality, and limited public appetite for rate increases, Aucoin and his team had to consider a new mix of generation sources-including solar, wind, gas, and nuclear-and weigh each option's cost, timeline, feasibility, and social acceptability. At stake was Hydro-Quebec's ability to maintain its mission while navigating a radically shifting energy and political landscape. The case raises urgent questions about trade-offs in public utility strategy, stakeholder alignment, and long-term energy planning.