(Whitehorse) – Yukon Energy’s large wind turbine on Haeckel Hill should be operating once again by mid- to late September.
The 660 kilowatt turbine, which has the capacity to supply about 120 homes with electricity, stopped working in mid-March because of a problem with the ring gear. That’s a piece of equipment that makes the blades turn into the wind.
“It’s an expensive repair, because there isn’t a working crane in the Yukon big enough to do job, and bringing up a crane from down south gets pricey,” Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson said. “We’ve narrowed our search for a crane down to three Alberta companies and will be awarding the contract to one of them within the next week or so.”
While the piece of equipment costs about $24,000, the labour, crane and related expenses will bring the total bill to about $180,000.
“With the fires and high water levels in the Yukon this summer, repairs on the wind turbine have taken a back seat for the last several weeks,” Patterson said. “Since we currently have a surplus of power on our system, this wasn’t a top priority. However we do want to see the experimental turbine operating again by the end of September. After that time, winds tend to pick up and it becomes a safety issue for crews working on the equipment.”
Yukon Energy has ordered the new part and has arranged to bring a crew of specialists to Whitehorse to help disassemble the wind tower and install the new ring gear. The work is expected to start by early September and should take several days to complete.
Yukon Energy has two wind turbines on Haeckel Hill as part of a pilot project to test the feasibility of wind generation in the territory. The first turbine was installed in July 1993, and the second larger one in the fall of 2000.
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Contact:
Janet Patterson
Communications, Yukon Energy Corporation
(867) 393-5333
janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca
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