About Us

News
Sep 19, 2013  Comment

Yukon Energy Employee Recognized for Leadership in Sustainability

Yukon Energy would like to congratulate one of our employees for receiving a prestigious sustainability award. Travis Ritchie, our Manager of Environment, Assessment and Licensing, has been given a 2014 Clean50 Award. These awards are handed out annually by the long-time recruitment firm Delta Management Group to recognize those 50 individuals or small teams who have done the most to advance the cause of sustainability in Canada over the past two years. Travis was chosen from a pool of nearly 500 well qualified candidates. Through his job at Yukon Energy, Travis works to ensure that sustainability is considered in everything that we do. He also is key when it comes to engaging Yukoners in our resource planning initiatives. He approaches each project in a way that respects both the community and the environment. Travis serves as Vice-Chair of the Canadian Electricity Association’s Sustainable Electricity Program National Steering Committee and sits on the Board of Directors for the Auditing Association of Canada and the Western and Northern Canada Affiliate of the International Association for Impact Assessment. We are very proud to have Travis as part of our team and are delighted that Delta Management Group has recognized him as a leader in the field of sustainability.  
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Sep 19, 2013  Comment

It’s All About the Lighting

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are fast becoming the top energy efficient lighting choice. There are a few things to consider when purchasing LEDs for your home that add a little extra challenge to light shopping, but with a few simple tips, getting the right LED light can be easy. The Smith and Kitchen-Kuchak families of Whitehorse have switched the lights in their homes to LEDs.  For this month’s Conversations in Conservation event, they’ll talk about how they made the switch, what they like about this technology, and the challenges they faced in making the conversion, plus they’ll provide tips on buying LEDs.  Yukon Energy will also share some what we have learned through our own energy conservation work. This Conversations in Conservation talk takes place on Thursday, September 26th from noon to 1 at the Westmark Hotel in Whitehorse. Conversations in Conservation is a monthly event hosted by Yukon Energy on the last Thursday of every month. All the talks are held at the Westmark Hotel over the lunch hour. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. Cookies and refreshments will be served. For more information, email stephanie.whitehead@yec.yk.ca or call (867) 393-5404.
News
Sep 30, 2013  Comment

A Significant Day for Marsh Lake Water Levels

A message to property owners and residents in the Southern Lakes area. The level on Marsh Lake has just today crossed below the conceptual Full Supply Level that we are considering in the Southern Lakes Enhanced Winter Storage Concept. You might want to take note of where the level is on your own property. Our current licensed Full Supply Level is 30 cm. below today’s level. We will not start to close any gates at the Marsh Lake Control Structure until the water has dropped below our licensed Full Supply Level of 656.234 meters above sea level. In this latest Marsh Lake water level chart, you’ll see that the water behaved in a rather unusual way this year, starting to drop but then rising again. It’s now coming down fairly rapidly and we don’t expect it to rise again this year.  
News, Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Oct 03, 2013  Comment

Energy Saving Workshop Planned for Mayo

Looking to save some money on energy? Yukon Energy, Yukon Electrical Company Ltd., and Natural Resources Canada are hosting an energy management workshop, this time in Mayo. The workshop will cover everything from energy "basics" to the importance of managing energy. Participants will be shown how to identify energy saving opportunities and will be offered some low cost/no cost ways to energy and money. The session is taking place on October 17th from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mayo Curling Lounge. Everyone is welcome to attend but the workshop will be most helpful to small business owners and First Nation and municipal decision makers.  There is no cost for the workshop but you must pre-register by October 10th by contacting Taylor Ewing at the Village of Mayo (996-2317 or mayo@northwestel.net).
News, Safety
Oct 09, 2013  2

Yukon Energy Does it Again!

For the second year in a row, Yukon Energy has won a prestigious safety award from the Canadian Electricity Association. Last year we won a bronze award for top safety performance among small Canadian utilities (fewer than 500 employees). This year we’ve taken the silver! Congratulations all around, and especially to our Manager of Safety, Melanie Pettefer. It was in large part because of Melanie’s leadership that we have been able to achieve this status. Under Melanie’s guidance, Yukon Energy has become a safer place to work. 
News, Energy Supply
Oct 29, 2013  Comment

A New Micro-Generation Policy for Yukon

We thought you might be interested in this news release. We will be working closely with the Yukon government and Yukon Electrical Company Limited to do the work necessary to implement this policy as soon as possible.
News, Community Involvement, Environment
Oct 31, 2013  Comment

Mayo’s Newest Walking Trail

Looking for a new place to go for a short, scenic walk? If you are in the Mayo area, there's a new walking trail with interpretive signage in the vicinity of our Mayo B powerhouse and salmon rearing channels. We constructed the trail and had the signage produced in cooperation with the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun. The trail forms a 2.5 kilometre long loop. It provides good views of the Mayo River, our salmon-rearing channel, and the Mayo B powerhouse. There are a number of information panels along the trail that provide details of the history and cultural significance of the area. We've created this map to help you find your way to the walking trail. Once you leave the main highway you'll see several directional road signs that will help guide you as well. Once you've walked the trail, we'd love it if you would drop us a note and let us know what you think.
Power Outage Updates
Oct 31, 2013  Comment

Planned Outage for Aishihik Area

Yukon Energy would like to notify some of our customers in the vicinity of Aishihik of a couple of short planned power outages on Tuesday, Nov. 5th. There will be one outage of approximately five minutes between 8:30 and 9 a.m., and a second outage - again approximately five minutes - between noon and 12:30. Please note that originally these outages had been planned for Monday Nov. 4th but were changed to coordinate work Yukon Electrical Company Limited is doing in the area. The customers affected live on Marshall Creek Road, Aishihik Lane, and Pine Lake Road. We apologize for the inconvenience, but these outages are necessary so our staff can safely work on the system.
News, Safety
Nov 13, 2013  Comment

The Invisible Killer Part 2

Every year in Canada there are more than 1,000 contacts with energized high voltage power lines (with vehicles, heavy equipme nt, trees, etc.). That is why, a couple of years ago, Yukon Energy and a number of other electrical utilities partnered with the Canadian Electricity Association to produce the first in a series of safety DVDs called "Electricity the Invisible Killer". The second in that series is now available to the public. In this second DVD, the focus is on the construction industry. A significant number of high voltage contacts are a result of non-electrical work being done in the vicinity of electrical structures. We believe this video is of value to all Yukoners and we encourage you to take 20 minutes to watch it.
News, Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Nov 20, 2013  Comment

A Conservation Christmas

With Christmas just a few weeks away, gift shopping is ramping up. New gadgets, electronics, smartphones, computers, TVs and home entertainment units are all hot ticket items.  In an average Yukon home, this technology makes up more than 10 percent of your electric usage.  So how do you keep conservation in mind while you are hunting for the perfect electronic gift?  That's the topic of this month's Conversations in Conservation event, taking place from noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday Nov. 28th at the Westmark Hotel. Yukon Energy's IT department will offer some tips and tricks to help you reduce your electronics energy use. A reminder that this is the last in our Conversations in Conservation series for 2013. There is no charge for this event. Coffee and cookies will be provided and everyone is welcome. We hope to see you there.
Energy Conservation
Dec 09, 2013  Comment

Saving Energy Over the Holidays

Christmas is just over two weeks away! Couple the cold and dark of December with all that extra holiday baking, those house guests, and strings of Christmas lights, and it can be difficult to keep electricity bills in check at this time of year. Here are a few suggestions to help you stay on track: 1. If you haven't already, switch to LED Christmas lights. They use 90 percent less electricity than regular Christmas lights, and can be purchased for around $10 a strand. 2. Use fiber optic decorations. In most cases, they use a single light bulb located in the base of the unit to light the entire decoration, making them both energy smart and budget smart! 3. Limit the time lights are on. Wait until dark to turn on your Christmas lights, and turn them off before you go to bed. Six hours or less of daily use is a good goal to aim for. Use a timer if you have trouble remembering to turn your lights on and off. 4. Turn off room lights when the tree is lit. The lights on your Christmas tree should provide more than enough lighting to navigate around the room. 5. Decorate with candles. Christmas lights are nice, but so are candles. Set up luminaries along your walkway and light candles throughout your home to achieve a beautiful holiday glow, without adding to the electric bill. Just be sure you don't leave the candles unattended for any length of time. 6. Christmas is a time of year when many of us tend to have house guests or adult children home from university. That means more showers and more dirty dishes. Wherever possible, watch the hot water usage; it is a huge part of a household electrical bill.  7. Buy gifts that don't use electricity. Make a pledge to buy energy-free gifts, and save all year round. 8. Invest in rechargeable batteries and a charger. If you buy or receive gifts that require batteries, consider purchasing rechargeable batteries and a charger.  Do you have any tips to share? Please post them here.
Media Releases
Sep 17, 2013  Comment

Northern Climate ExChange partners with Yukon Energy and federal government on hydrosecurity project

Matching funds from Yukon Energy Corporation and the federal government will allow the Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) of the Yukon Research Centre to continue its research investigating the implications of climate change on hydro generation at the Whitehorse dam. Yukon Energy and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada have each contributed $385,000 to allow the Northern Climate ExChange to build upon preliminary research already conducted with the energy corporation. Technical and other support will be provided by the Yukon Geological Survey and Environment Yukon’s Water Resources Branch. “This project aims to improve our understanding and preparedness for the impacts of climate change in northern Canada, which is of vital importance to Yukon’s prosperity,” said Lacia Kinnear, Manager, Northern Climate ExChange. “This research is critical to Yukon Energy in terms of helping us plan for climate change and the implications on our ability to generate hydro power,” said Janet Patterson, spokesperson for Yukon Energy. “With the majority of the electricity we produce coming from the Whitehorse hydro facilities, we must be ready for any future changes in the watershed that feeds our Whitehorse system.” Researchers will install automated weather and snowpack monitoring stations at five locations in the upper Yukon River watershed. The researchers will study the characteristics and flow dynamics of the headwater glaciers. They’ll also collect data on snow pack and suggest how the water that feeds the Whitehorse dam could be affected by climate variability. Yukon College students will be involved in many different aspects of this project, including field work and data interpretation. By the third year of the project, the researchers expect to develop a model that will help Yukon Energy in its future resource planning. It will also assist the energy corporation in operating its Whitehorse hydro facilities in the most efficient way possible under various scenarios. More information on this project can be found here. The Northern Climate ExChange is one of seven key programs at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC). The other six include: Biodiversity Monitoring, Cold Climate Innovation, NSERC Industrial Research Chair for Colleges in Mine Life Cycle, Technology Innovation, Science Adventures, and Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic. Core funding for the Yukon Research Centre is provided by Yukon Education and Yukon Economic Development. Yukon Energy Corporation is a publicly owned electricity utility that operates as a business, at arm’s length from the Yukon government. It is the main generator and transmitter of electrical energy in Yukon.   For more information, contact: Lacia Kinnear Manager, Northern Climate ExChange Yukon Research Centre 867.668.8862 867.332.6231 lkinnear@yukoncollege.yk.ca Janet Patterson Manager, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation 867.393.5333 867.335.1519 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca
News, Power Outage Updates
Dec 20, 2013  Comment

Planned Power Outage for Mendenhall

Yukon Energy wants to advise our Mendenhall customers that there will be a brief power outage (10 to 15 minutes long) on Monday Dec. 23rd between 11:00 and 11:30 a.m. This outage will affect the following areas: Cranberry Road: Lots 15-22 Mendenhall Road: Lots 55 and all lots north of 55 Harrison Road: ALL Kelvin Place: ALL Please pass on the word to those who may not be on social media. We have also put up posters in the community and have emailed those customers who have provided us with email addresses. Thank you.
News
Dec 19, 2013  Comment

Another Record Broken

Last evening at 5:47, we broke the all time record in Yukon for electricity consumed at any one time. We were generating 83.43 megawatts at that point. This broke the previous record of 83.39 megawatts set on December 19th, 2012. Of that 83.43 megawatts produced, about nine megawatts of that was with diesel. For every hour that we produce one megawatt with diesel, it costs Yukoners between $300 and $350. That means just for that one hour over dinner last night, Yukoners paid up to $3,240 for back-up diesel.  In total yesterday, we generated about 86 megawatt hours of electricity using diesel. For that one day alone, it cost more than $30,000 to use our back-up diesel. It's numbers like this that are pushing Yukon Energy to encourage conservation, search for reliable, renewable energy projects that provide winter energy whenever needed, and why we are looking to switch from diesel to natural gas. If we had been using natural gas yesterday instead of diesel, the cost - fuel for fuel - would have been about a third less. It's also worth noting that this week's all-time peak occurred even without the Bellekeno mine in operation. Clearly our growth is being driven by more than just the mines, but but all electrical customers.
News
Dec 18, 2013  Comment

Deep Freeze = Peak Electricity Usage

With the temperatures we've been seeing lately in Yukon, it's not surprising that our electricity usage is the highest it's been all winter. This morning at 8 o'clock, we were generating 80.59 megawatts of power. Of that amount, approximately 68.5 megawatts were from hydro, and 12 megawatts from our back-up diesel generators. It's worth noting that if we didn't have our newest hydro enhancements in place (Mayo B and our third turbine at Aishihik) we would be burning 22 megawatts of diesel instead of 12. It's times like this that we encourage everyone to be extra energy conscious and conserve wherever you can.

More 

About Us

Energy in Yukon

Sustainability

Community Support

Customer Service

Health and Safety

Contact us

Ask Steph

Français