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Energy Conservation, Regulatory
May 28, 2013  Comment

An Electricity Conservation Plan for Yukon

 We have been working for many months with Yukon Electrical Company Limited, and had input from hundreds of Yukoners, on developing a territory-wide electricity conservation plan. That plan is now complete and yesterday it was filed with the Yukon Utilities Board (YUB) for review. It was filed as a joint submission with Yukon Electrical Company Limited as part of a General Rate Application they have made to the YUB. The full plan can be found on the YUB's website, but here is a summary. On June 5th, Yukon Electrical and Yukon Energy will jointly host a public information session to further explain the plan and answer any questions you may have. It will take place at the Westmark Hotel in Whitehorse at 12 noon. Coffee, tea and cookies will be provided. Everyone is welcome.
Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Jun 17, 2013  Comment

Last Night’s Outage

 A crew is flying the line this morning to try to determine the cause of last night's power outage in Faro, Ross River, Carmacks, and parts of Porter Creek and Takhini. The outage occurred at about 11:30 p.m. Power was restored to Carmacks within about 11 minutes, and to all of Whitehorse before 1 a.m. Faro and Ross River received power by about 5:15 a.m. The cause of the outage is still unknown, but hopefully by flying the line it will provide some answers. We'll update you when you know more. We apologize to those affected by the outage.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 18, 2013  Comment

Kids and Clotheslines: Our Next Conversation in Conservation Event

We've had some great summer weather of late...perfect for being outside; perfect for air drying clothes. Our Conversations in Conservation series is celebrating summer by moving outside this month. We'll be at Arts in the Park (Wood Street and 3rd Avenue) from noon to 1 p.m. next Wednesday (June 26th) getting kids involved in energy conservation.  We'll be promoting the benefits of line drying, and we'll have bags for the children to decorate, fill with clothespins, and take home with them. If you are in the Whitehorse area that day and are looking for something to do with your young ones, please drop by. You can enjoy some great music by local musicians while you learn about the many benefits of drying clothes on the line. Children must be under the supervision of an adult. Conversations in Conservation is a monthly series hosted by Yukon Energy. The talks usually occur the last Thursday of every month over the lunch hour, at the Westmark Whitehorse. They feature various speakers who cover a wide variety of energy conservation-related topics. These talks are free and open to everyone. For more information, email stephanie.whitehead@yec.yk.ca or call (867) 393-3897.
Community Involvement, Environment, Safety
Jun 19, 2013  Comment

This Year’s Water Levels on Marsh Lake

 Once again this summer, Yukon Energy will provide regular updates on our water level forecast for Marsh Lake. This is a service we have offered to residents and property owners around the Southern Lakes for the last several years, as it helps them prepare for possible flooding in the event of high water years. Back in April, indications were that water levels would peak at around the existing Full Supply Level stipulated in our water license. That is around 656.234 meters above sea level. Because of the late spring, and based on the most recent data regarding snow melt and Environment Canada long range weather forecasts, we now believe the water will peak at around 656.534 meters above sea level, which is approximately where it peaked last summer. Incidentally, this is the level we are considering for our Southern Lakes Enhancement Concept. The chart at the bottom of this page shows this year's water levels to date (the solid purple line), the expected path the levels will take this summer (dotted purple line), and compares it to our Full Supply Level and the Conceptual Fully Supply Level. The chart also shows the water levels for 2007 (highest water level on record), 2004 (the middle line shown in pink), and 2012 (the lowest of the three solid water level lines).
Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Jun 19, 2013  Comment

A Fallen Tree

 We have found the cause of this week’s power outage in Faro and Ross River. A tree fell on the line near the Little Salmon campground, probably as a result of high winds this week. The tree has been removed. Our crews will take the communities off back-up diesel and return them to grid power later this morning.
Environment
Jun 20, 2013  Comment

A Haven for Gulls

 Yukon Energy's Whitehorse hydro facilities have provided a safe nesting area for gulls for many years. Here are some photos that one of our employees, Jim Petelski, took as a gull chick was hatching. Jim kept a safe distance from the nest while capturing these images so as not to disturb the birds.

Regulatory
Jun 24, 2013  Comment

The Latest Utilities Board Decision and What it Means For You

You may recall that last year, Yukon Energy asked the Yukon Utilities Board for permission to raise rates by just over 13 percent over two years (2012 and 2013). We now have the final decision by the YUB. The board has granted us an 11.01 percent increase over those two years, to take effect on July 1st. It will show up on your bill as Rider J. You may also remember that while the YUB considered our application, it allowed us to charge an “interim rate”. Effective July 1st, 2012, that rate was 6.4 percent, and then in January of this year we were allowed to charge an additional 3.75 percent on an interim basis. On July 1st the 11.01 percent rate replaces those two interim riders. Now that we know our approved rates, there must also be a ‘true up’ to make up for the difference between what we charged on an interim basis and what the approved final rate increase is for those two years. That ‘true up’, which amounts to just over 3.6 percent, will show up on your bill as Rider R . It will be there from July 1st of this year to the end of June of next year. So what will this look like on your power bills? It will be different for each household, since no two households use the same amount of electricity each month. But as an example, we’ll use the amount of 1,000 kWh a month, which is a fairly typical monthly usage. Before July of 2012, you would have paid $118.26. This includes all the charges, the GST, and the Interim Electrical Rebate, which gives you a credit of $26.60. As of July 2012, you would have paid $127.40 (based on the premise that you used the same amount of electricity). This increase reflects the 2012 interim rate allowed by the Yukon Utilities Board. In January of this year, your bill for the same amount of power would have been $130.36 and includes the 2013 interim rate allowed by the Utilities Board. As of July 1st of this year, you will pay $136.76 for 1,000 kWh of electricity. This includes the YUB-approved final rate plus the ‘true up’ explained earlier in this article. The true-up rider will end at the end of June 2014. Clearly no one is happy about having to pay higher power bills. But just as costs for other services (groceries, housing costs, vehicles, etc.) have all gone up over the years, so must the price charged for electricity, since we too are facing higher operating costs. This may be of little consolation to you, but in spite of these increases, Yukoners still pay the lowest power rates in the North, and we are on par with several Canadian provinces, and pay less for electricity than Albertans do. If you’d like to learn more about why this increase was necessary, please read this earlier blog post. As always, we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
Community Involvement
Jun 25, 2013  Comment

Learning from Our Elders

For the past several years, Yukon Energy has offered an Elders' Program in our First Nations tent at the Whitehorse Rapids Fishway. Elders make themselves available in the tent twice a week to share their knowledge and experience with both Yukoners and visitors.  Our Elders' Program is starting again on July 1st. Gwitchin elder Mary Decker will be available on Mondays throughout July and August from 1 - 2 p.m.  On most Thursdays, Carcross Tagish elder Doris McLean will be in the tent from 1 - 2 p.m. We encourage everyone to take advantage of this opportunity and come chat with them. There is no charge for this program, although there is a suggested $3 donation to visit the fishladder.
Energy Supply
Jun 25, 2013  2

Let’s Make Sense of LNG

 Yukon Energy has a proposal to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) to replace our back-up diesel generators. At the same time we would continue searching for new cost effective renewable sources of electricity. Why LNG? We currently use diesel for back-up generation: to help restore electricity during power outages, to supplement our hydro in very cold weather, and during droughts. But some of the diesel units are old and have reached the end of their lives. Since we are mandated to provide a back-up system, we have no choice but to replace these aging generators. The question is: with what? After a lot of research and input from Yukoners (LNG was one of the energy options Yukoners asked us to look into further at our Energy Charrette in 2011) we've concluded that a switch from diesel to natural gas generation is the responsible thing to do for economic, operational and environmental reasons.  We're planning a series of Open Houses to share with you what we've learned about LNG, and to talk to you about a proposal we have to retire two of our oldest Whitehorse diesel units and replace them with natural gas generators. We hope you can attend one of these sessions: July 2nd at the Nakwat'a Ku Potlatch House For citizen of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation 6 - 9 p.m. July 3rd at the Old Fire Hall, Whitehorse For citizens of the Ta'an First Nation 6 - 9 p.m. July 8th at Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre, Whitehorse For the general public 4:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 26, 2013  Comment

Arts and Conservation in the Park

 Yukon Energy staff took a message of energy conservation to a local park today. The "Arts in the Park" program has run each summer for many years. It offers a chance for Yukoners and visitors to our territory to come to Lepage Park in downtown Whitehorse to hear musical performances and see visual artists at work. Our purpose for being there today was to teach children about conserving energy though simple means such as air drying clothes instead of using an electric clothes dryer. Children were invited to decorate a clothespin bag, which they could take home along with a package of bamboo clothespins. We think they had a lot of fun, as did we! It wasn't just the kids that got into the spirit of things. Here's Whitehorse City Councillor John Streicker with his own decorated clothespin bag and set of chothes pins.

Energy Supply, Environment, Reliability
Jun 28, 2013  8

Keeping Our Right-of-Ways Clear

 Yukon Energy has more than 1,000 kilometres of transmission lines, and we must keep the right-of-ways under the lines clear to ensure reliability of our system. Currently we mow the right-of-ways and manually remove the trees under our powerlines. However vegetation experts have reviewed our practice and suggest that using herbicides in addition to our current practices will provide benefits both from an economic and an environmental standpoint. Using herbicides would mean that the right-of-ways would be disturbed less often by heavy equipment, because we wouldn’t have to manually remove vegetation so often. It could promote the growth of grasses and other vegetation desirable to animals and humans, since herbicides can be selectively applied to target certain plants or trees. It also reduces bird nest disturbances. This summer, we will be testing some herbicides in the Whitehorse area to see if it makes sense for us to add their use to our vegetation management program. The small plots, near the Long Lake Road and in the vicinity of the Takhini Hot Springs Road, will be clearly marked with signs before the work begins. See the maps below for their exact locations. Herbicides are commonly used by utilities elsewhere in Canada and abroad. The ones we are testing have been recommended by environmental experts and have been approved as safe to use by Health Canada. We will begin our test program on July 8th and run for two weeks. During this time, we ask that you not walk through the plots, and that you prevent your pets from walking through them. While it isn’t a hazard for you to walk in the area, it could affect the results of our testing. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Environment, Power Outage Updates, Reliability
Jul 03, 2013  Comment

Mother Nature Is Having Her Way With Us!

Between high winds and forest fires, this has been an extremely busy week for our crews. Unfortunately it has also resulted in some power outages. Here's what's been happening: 1. This past Sunday, there was an outage to customers in Faro, Carmacks, Elsa, Keno, and small communities between Carmacks and Faro including Drury Creek and Little Salmon. There was a forest fire that went through a section of our Faro-Carmacks line, and when we inspected the line, we found some fire damaged transmission structures. While we were able to restore power to most areas quickly using backup diesels, the road between Faro and Carmacks was closed because of the forest fire, so Drury Creek and Little Salmon remained without electricity until the road was re-opened. We were able to replace our damaged poles yesterday. 2. While this pole replacement work was going on yesterday, high winds in the town of Mayo knocked down some trees in the village. Power went out for Mayo residents at about 3:30 yesterday afternoon and was restored by 7:30 last night. 3. At the same time, winds knocked down some trees on one of our main lines behind Riverdale in Whitehorse and started a small fire. Power was lost to parts of Whitehorse, Dawson, Haines Junction, the Minto and Alexco mines at about 5 o'clock yesterday. Everyone was restored by about 7 o'clock last night. 4. There is another forest fire that we are closely watching that is burning about 10 kilometres northwest of our Aishihik hydro plant. We have installed a sprinkler system around the perimeter of our property and it is ready to be turned on should we need it. We continue to monitor the situation closely. If you've lost power this week, we sincerely apologize, but please understand that our staff is working incredibly hard to deal with everything that Mother Nature has sent our way.   
Media Releases
Jul 05, 2013  Comment

Capstone Mining Corp. and Yukon Energy Partner on Energy Audit

Capstone Mining Corp. (“Capstone”) and Yukon Energy are working together to identify energy efficiency opportunities at Capstone’s Minto Mine (“Minto”). As part of Minto’s continuous improvement process and Yukon Energy’s electricity conservation initiatives, the two corporations are sharing the cost of having an energy audit done of the property. The goal is to help the mining operation reduce its energy use per tonne of ore milled and manage its peak demand load. The energy audit will be done by Hatch, a firm from Toronto that specializes in industrial energy audits. It will document past and current electricity use, compare that usage to other similar operations, and provide recommendations for energy saving opportunities. Each recommendation for energy efficiency improvements will include a cost-benefit analysis. The auditing company will also provide a proposal for managing peak load. “Energy conservation is a critical element in helping us meet Yukon’s growing energy needs,” Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson said. “We are working with all our customer classes to find ways of making the most efficient use of the territory’s available electricity, and we’re very pleased to have an opportunity to partner with Minto on this initiative.” “This is a tremendous opportunity for the Minto Mine,” said Ron Light, Minto Mine General Manager. “We are always looking at ways to continuously improve our operations and identify cost reduction opportunities and this initiative has the potential to optimize our operations well into the future.” The audit will be completed later this summer, with a final report expected before the end of this year. Capstone and Yukon Energy will share the cost of the audit equally, with an additional 25 percent to be reimbursed by Yukon Energy should Minto implement energy conservation measures that result in a reduction of current annual consumption. Contact: Cindy Burnett VP, Investor Relations and Communications Capstone Mining Corp. (604) 637-8157 cburnett@capstonemining.com Janet Patterson  Manager, Communications  Yukon Energy Corporation  (867) 393-5333  janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca   About Capstone Mining Corp. Capstone Mining Corp. is a Canadian base metals mining company, committed to the responsible development of our assets and the environments in which we operate. We are preferentially focused on copper, with two producing copper mines, the Cozamin copper-silver-zinc-lead mine located in Zacatecas State, Mexico and the Minto copper-gold-silver mine in Yukon, Canada. In addition, Capstone has two development projects, the large scale 70% owned Santo Domingo copper-iron-gold project in Chile in partnership with Korea Resources Corporation and the 100% owned Kutcho copper-zinc-gold-silver project in British Columbia, as well as exploration properties in Canada, Chile, Mexico and Australia. Using our cash flow and strong balance sheet as a springboard, Capstone aims to grow with continued mineral resource and reserve expansions, exploration, and through acquisitions in politically stable, mining-friendly regions. Our headquarters are in Vancouver, Canada and we are listed on the TSX. Further information is available at www.capstonemining.com. About Yukon Energy Corporation Established in 1987, Yukon Energy is a publicly owned electrical utility that operates as a business, at arm’s length from the Yukon government. We are the main generator and transmitter of electrical energy in the Yukon. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information This document may contain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (collectively, "forward-looking statements"). These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this document and Capstone does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements, except as required under applicable securities legislation. By their very nature forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Capstone to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
News
Jul 16, 2013  Comment

Electricity’s Role in a Canadian Energy Strategy

 We thought you might find this report, titled "Power for the Future: Electricity's Role in a Canadian Energy Strategy" useful reading. Yukon Energy is a member of the Canadian Electricity Association.
Energy Conservation
Jul 05, 2013  Comment

Saving Electricity at the Minto Mine

Capstone Mining Corp. and Yukon Energy are working together to identify energy efficiency opportunities at Capstone’s Minto mine. The two corporations are sharing the cost of having an energy audit done of the property. The goal is to help the mining operation reduce its energy use per tonne of ore milled and manage its peak demand load. The energy audit will be done by Hatch, a firm from Toronto that specializes in industrial energy audits. It will document past and current electricity use, compare that usage to other similar operations, and provide recommendations for energy saving opportunities. Each recommendation for energy efficiency improvements will include a cost-benefit analysis. The auditing company will also provide a proposal for managing peak load. Energy conservation is a critical element in helping Yukon Energy meet Yukon’s growing energy needs. We are working with all our customer classes to find ways of making the most efficient use of the territory’s available electricity, so we’re happy to be working with Minto on this initiative. The audit will be finished later this summer, with a final report expected before the end of this year. 

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