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Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates, Reliability, Safety
May 12, 2017  Comment

Planned Outages – Drury Creek

To our customers in Drury Creek, there will be some planned power outages in your area on the following dates/times; Brief 15–20 minute power outage between 08:00 and 09:00 on May 24. Brief 15–20 minute power outage between 17:00 and 18:00 on May 25. Brief 15–20 minute power outage between 14:00 and 15:00 on May 28. Brief 15–20 minute power outage between 16:30 and 17:30 on May 30. These outages are necessary so our staff can safely work on the system. Please let us know if you have any questions.
News, Regulatory
Jun 08, 2017  Comment

Ask Janet: Why the Low Levels?

Question: Why are the water levels in Marsh Lake and in the Yukon River so low right now? Thanks for the question. In fact, we have had similar queries from a number of other people recently. Some Yukoners are under the impression that we are holding back water in the system. As per our water license, we must have all our Marsh Lake control gates open by May 15th. This year they were all opened by May 12th. That means the level of flow that is coming through the Southern Lakes system is being controlled by Mother Nature and not Yukon Energy. The flows have been low because of the cool spring, which has delayed the spring freshet. If you look at the graph below that shows Marsh Lake levels, you will see by the green line (other lines are for previous years) that the levels have increased quite a bit over the last several days as temperatures have risen. We did, for a few days, lower the levels at Schwatka Lake at the request of the City of Whitehorse so they could construct a new dock, but that lake is now back to its normal level. This lowering was permitted under our water license. Please let me know if you need further information.

Jun 22, 2017  Comment

Yukon Energy Seeks First Rate Increase in Four Years

Yukon Energy has filed an application with the Yukon Utilities Board for its first rate increase since 2013. The Corporation is asking for a nine percent increase over two years (2017 and 2018). Yukon Energy hasn’t had a rate change since 2013, meaning this increase would equate to 1.75 percent a year between 2014 and 2018. The increase would impact both Yukon Energy and ATCO Electric Yukon customers. “Over the last four years Yukon Energy has worked hard to avoid the need for any rate changes,” Yukon Energy President Andrew Hall said. “However we are facing increased costs to modernize our aging infrastructure and to ensure reliable energy during winter peaks. We are also seeing inflation in some of our operating expenses.” “Delaying an increase would just compound the problem and mean even higher rate hikes down the road,” Hall said. Yukon Energy has completed a number of projects since its last General Rate Application (GRA) that address aging assets and it is appropriate to now put those into rates. The projects include the Whitehorse LNG project and major repairs to the elevator shaft at the Aishihik hydro facility. A GRA would also allow Yukon Energy to pass on the benefit of lower LNG pricing (compared to diesel) to ratepayers. The increase that Yukon Energy is asking for on an annual basis is consistent with inflation on a number of other consumer costs such as housing, telephone and Internet, and water and sewer. Hall noted that even with an increase, Yukon rates remain the lowest in the North and are competitive with many other jurisdictions in Canada. “We recognize that even a small increase can be a hardship for some people,” Hall said. “There are steps most Yukoners can take to keep their bills affordable. Our inCharge program provides rebates and energy saving tips, as does the Yukon government’s Good Energy Program. We will work with customers to provide them with the tools and information they need to take more control over their electricity bills.” Here is the full version of the General Rate Application, and here is a summary of the filing. Contact: Steph Cunha                                                                       Manager, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation (867) 393-5333                                                                       stephanie.cunha@yec.yk.ca
News, Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Jun 23, 2017  Comment

Last Night’s Outage

We believe lightning was the cause of a power outage last night that affected Dawson City, Mayo, Stewart Crossing, and Faro. Power went out at around 7:30 last night and was back on for everyone by shortly after 8:00 p.m.
News, Energy Supply, Reliability, Safety
Sep 14, 2017  Comment

Brushing Work in Dawson City

Contractors working for Yukon Energy will be in the Dawson City area starting the third week of this month to do brushing under the transmission and distribution lines. This work is necessary to ensure safety and reliability of service. The work is expected to take about three weeks. For more information, please call 1-866-926-3749 or (867) 393-5333 or email stephanie.cunha@yec.yk.ca.
News, Regulatory
Sep 01, 2017  Comment

The Yukon Utilities Board Rules on YEC’s Interim Rate Application

In June, Yukon Energy filed an application with the Yukon Utilities Board (YUB) for a nine percent increase over two years (2017 and 2018). We haven't had a rate change since 2013, meaning this increase would equate to 1.75 percent a year between 2014 and 2018. In keeping with past regulatory practice, we applied for an interim rate for power consumed after September 1st of this year. After seeking comments from interveners, the YUB awarded a rate increase of 5.5 percent effective today. For an average residential customer consuming 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, this change will add $7.50 to monthly power bills. The interim rate will be in place until the YUB makes a final ruling on our general rate application. We expect to have that decision by next spring. When the process is complete and the final rate increase is determined, the YUB will calculate the difference between the awarded rates and the interim rates and will direct us to collect from, or refund to, ratepayers as necessary. Further information about our application can be found in this summary, and here is the full version of the application.
Aug 04, 2017  Comment

August 3rd Power Outage

The cause of the August 3rd outage was related to a failed speed signal to the Whitehorse Hydro Unit #4 governor. The governor controls the electrical output from a hydro unit. The failure of this speed signal causes the hydro unit to shut down as a safeguard to prevent the unit from becoming uncontrollable.  The loss of the speed signal was caused by a control board failure. The equipment was repaired, tested and the unit was placed back on-line. Whitehorse Hydro Unit #4 is the largest hydro unit on the grid. When the generation was lost, the feeders tripped off in an attempt to balance the customer load to remaining generation.
Aug 03, 2017  Comment

2017 Summer Water Levels at Marsh Lake

We have had a few calls from residents of the Marsh Lake area, wondering what lake levels are expected to be over the next month or two. Below is a chart that offers some information. The solid green line shows the water levels to date. The dotted green line shows expected levels for the rest of the summer and fall, with the greyed-out area indicating variations depending on how much rainfall the area receives, and the local temperatures. The blue and purple lines show the lake levels for the previous two years.

News, Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Aug 03, 2017  2

Restoration Underway

ATCO Electric Yukon and Yukon Energy crews are working together to respond to an unplanned power outage affecting the following areas: South Alaska Highway between Robert Service Way and Teslin (the Village of Teslin has power); all of Porter Creek; Range Road; and parts of downtown Cause of the outage and estimated restoration times are unknown, although by 8:30 p.m. a number of locations had their power restored.
News, Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Jul 26, 2017  Comment

Last Night’s Power Outage

Lightning was the cause of a power last night in much of the territory. All communities north of Whitehorse, with the exception of Mayo and Keno, lost power at 7:46 p.m. Electricity was restored to everyone by 8:10 p.m.
News, Media Releases, Energy Supply, Environment, Partnerships
Jul 24, 2017  Comment

Yukon Energy, Northern Climate ExChange and INRS partner to study Mayo and Aishihik rivers

Yukon Energy Corporation (YEC), the Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) at Yukon College and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), a graduate school of the University of Quebec’s network, are partnering to study climate change impacts on the Mayo and Aishihik rivers in Yukon. This three-year research project combines two grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) with funding from Yukon Energy. The total value of the project is close to $1 million with close to half of that in cash and in-kind support coming from the energy corporation. The research team will look at how long-term changes in temperature, snow, rain and permafrost may impact each river in the decades to come. This project will allow Yukon Energy to better manage water in each hydroelectric reservoir in the short term while planning for the effects of climate change over time. The research team will also develop a range of tools to allow Yukon Energy to forecast inflow in the Mayo and Aishihik hydroelectric power plants on timescales ranging from weeks to months. “This research is critical to us in terms of helping us plan for climate change and the implications on our ability to generate hydro power,” Yukon Energy president Andrew Hall said. “Because the Aishihik and Mayo facilities are key assets for us, we must be ready for any future changes in the watersheds that feed them.” “NSERC is proud to support applied research and development in high priority areas such as the environment and climate change,” said Bert van den Berg, Acting Vice-President, Research Partnerships, NSERC. “Connecting industry with applied research expertise at Canadian colleges will result in innovative technologies to help protect our environment and improve the quality of life for Canadians”. For INRS, this project represents an opportunity to expand their research expertise into a new region where they have not previously conducted hydrologic modelling, and with new academic and private sector partners. INRS personnel will conduct research in northern hydrology and build the professional and technological capacities that will help Yukon Energy address climate change challenges. As well, INRS will train YEC professionals on the operation of an inflow forecasting system. “Climate change is already impacting Yukon rivers and lakes in ways we don’t fully understand. We’re excited to continue our work with Yukon Energy and other partners to provide tools and information and help plan for these impacts,” said Brian Horton, project coordinator, Northern Climate ExChange at Yukon College. As the project will study rivers within the Traditional Territories of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (NND), Yukon Energy and the Northern Climate ExChange are working with each First Nation to determine best locations for the data collection stations. Local First Nations Citizens will be invited to work as field assistants, and all data gathered through this project with be shared with the First Nations. Project researchers are heading into the field this summer to install automatic weather stations in the Mayo and Aishihik river regions. Project teams will also engage local school children in the project with presentations and interactive experiments in the fall term. This project follows from a similar three-year study of the Yukon River recently completed by NCE, Yukon Energy, Yukon Geological Survey, and other collaborators. Based on results from that project, researchers estimate that over the next 30 years, Yukon River flows will increase in fall, winter, and spring months, but that the timing and volume of summer peak flows will remain relatively unchanged. Monitoring of the weather near Llewellyn Glacier is ongoing and NCE researchers have trained YEC staff in the use of the project software to ensure the models are updated with contemporary data. For more information visit: yukoncollege.yk.ca/research/hydrology About INRS : http://www.inrs.ca/english/about-us/overview-inrs For more information, contact: Michael Vernon Yukon College - Communications 867.668.8786 867.332.4722 mvernon@yukoncollege.yk.ca Stephanie Cunha Yukon Energy - Manager, Communications 867.393.5333 stephanie.cunha@yec.yk.ca
News, Community Involvement, Energy Conservation, Energy Supply, Environment, Partnerships
Jul 11, 2017  Comment

Making Home Ownership Possible

We'd like to send congratulations out to Habitat for Humanity Yukon, whose volunteers are spending this week finishing the landscaping at an energy efficient duplex in the Whistle Bend subdivision in Whitehorse. Over the past 12 years, the group has helped 18 local lower-income families become homeowners. Yukon Energy's role in the Whistle Bend duplex was to provide money that went towards the purchase and installation of the solar panels seen on the roof in the photo below, and for LED lighting. If you would like to help with the landscaping at this property, or if you want to know more about Habitat for Humanity Yukon, call 456.4349 or email info@habitatyukon.org. Photo: Yukon Energy's President Andrew Hall (left) with Habitat for Humanity Yukon's Executive Director Stu Mackay

Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates, Reliability, Safety
Jul 07, 2017  Comment

Planned Outages for July in the Central Yukon

To our customers at Braeburn, Drury Creek, Little Fox and South Fox: Yukon Energy will be working on our transmission line in your area between July 17 and 30. As a result, you will experience brief power outages each day during that period. You can expect a short (about 15–20 minute) outage each day at some point between 8 and 9 a.m.,  and again at some point between 5 and 6 p.m. We apologize for this inconvenience, but these outages are needed so our crews can safely work on the line.
Events, Community Involvement, Environment
Jul 04, 2017  Comment

Another Busy Season at the Fishladder

There’s always something to see and do at the Whitehorse Rapids Fishway. The fishladder is open now until September 4th.  Come see the Chinook salmon and local freshwater fish travel through the ladder Get up close and personal with the fish in our aquariums Use our high powered microscope to see fish like you’ve never seen them before Check out our underwater camera system and our salmon cam Listen to elders’ stories in our First Nations tent Learn from our many information panels and displays that can be found throughout the property Enjoy our special public art pieces, created by dozens of Yukoners Don't forget about Visitor Appreciation Night, set this year for Wednesday, August 16th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Entrance by donation (suggested $3 per person) Hours of Operation: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., July 22 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. from July 23–Aug. 21 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Aug. 22–Sept. 4 Call (867) 633.5965 for further information.  
News, Events, Community Involvement, History
Jul 04, 2017  Comment

30 Years!

Yukon Energy is 30 years old this year. To mark the event, we hope you can join us for some special events planned for Friday, July 28th. Noon: Fun run or walk around the Millennium Trail and across the Whitehorse dam. Race starts and finishes at Rotary Peace Park. All ages welcome. At 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.: Tours of Yukon Energy’s generating facilities: hydro, diesel, and solar.  Ages 12 and up. Limit of 24 people per tour. To pre-register for these free events, email us or call (867) 393-5333.  

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