About Us

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.   
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. 
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 Supply, Environment
Jul 17, 2013  Comment

Forest Fires Impact Yukon Energy Equipment

Yukon Wildland Fire Management gave us the go-ahead this morning to make repairs to three poles on our Carmacks to Faro transmission line. The poles were recently damaged by a forest fire in the vicinity. A Yukon Energy crew was able to fly over the site last night, and saw that at least one pole is almost completely burned. It will take a couple of days to make the necessary repairs. Then we must wait for permission from the Yukon government to re-energize the line. Until that happens, we will continue to serve Faro and Ross River using backup diesel. Meanwhile, another fire is burning approximately 6.3 kilometres from our Aishihik hydro plant. The photo below was taken last night. Fire crews are travelling to our Aishihik facility today to do an assessment. We have a suppression system in place and ready to use should we have to. We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Wildland Fire Management for the great job they are doing to protect our properties and equipment. If it weren't for them, we would be dealing with much more substantial repairs.

Safety
Jul 18, 2013  Comment

Take Care!

 With the tragic death of a Whitehorse teenager recently in the Yukon River, and a near miss shortly after that, we want to remind people to take great care when they are around the river. While these incidents happened a fair distance downstream from our Whitehorse facilities, we want people to understand that the river can be particularly dangerous around our hydro dam. The same goes for our other dams, hydro plants, and control structures. Water currents are strong, there is a powerful undertow, and water levels can rise rapidly without warning.  At the Lewes River Control structure, always use the boat lock when travelling by watercraft. NEVER try to pass through the control gates. Enjoy what nature has given us, but please treat it with the utmost respect. 
Energy Conservation
Jul 22, 2013  Comment

This Month’s Conversation in Conservation Event

Trying to figure out how your home uses energy and what the big drivers are on your energy bills? Want to do some renos and need to figure out how to get the biggest energy saving bang for your buck? Getting a home energy assessment through Yukon Housing will help you answer these questions and more. Roger Hanberg from Yukon Housing will be our presenter for July’s Conversations in Conservation, taking place this Thursday (July 25th) from noon to 1 at the Westmark Hotel in Whitehorse. He will talk about what is involved in getting a home energy assessment and answer all your questions. Conversations in Conservation is a monthly event that we host the last Thursday of every month. All the events take place at the Westmark Hotel over the lunch hour. There is no cost and everyone is welcome. Cookies and refreshments will be served. By the way, if you have an idea for a Conversation in Conservation topic, please let us know and we will try to make it happen.
Energy Supply, Safety
Jul 19, 2013  1

Update on the Forest Fires Situation Around Our Facilities

Wildland Yukon Wildland Fire Management has given us permission to re-energize our transmission line between Faro and Carmacks. We have made the repairs to our poles recently damaged by forest fires in the area and we are about to fly the line to ensure there are no other issues we need to deal with. If all goes well, we should have Faro and Ross River back on grid power by this evening. We continue to closely watch the fire burning near our Aishihik facilities. We have almost completed our fire break work and will do a second test of our sprinkler system very shortly, with Wildland Fire Management in attendance.
Energy Supply, Reliability
Jul 19, 2013  Comment

Geothermal Versus Liquefied Natural Gas

Question: Will Yukon Energy ever consider using geothermal energy in the Yukon as well as or as an alternative to natural gas? Yes indeed, we have been looking at geothermal for several years now. There is some information about our geothermal work both on our website and our blog. What we need in order to produce geo-thermal electricity is very hot water (100 to 120 degrees C) and not the warm water available now and used by Mayo and parts of Whitehorse to heat buildings, etc. Our early research has indicated there is good geothermal potential in Yukon. The problem is finding the right spot (it's like drilling for oil in that regard). Drilling test holes is very expensive and it would be possible to drill a lot of holes before finding a good location. We are hoping we can partner with others as we move forward in our search for geothermal power. In fact we are just starting to work with the Kaska Nation on a geothermal research project, so stay tuned for updates on that in the days ahead. Geothermal would be a great energy source for us, as it's both reliable and renewable. In terms of affordability, we don't have enough information yet to know exactly what geothermal would cost per kilowatt hour. We do know that while the initial capital cost would be high, once a geothermal system is set up it would be relatively inexpensive to operate. Unfortunately, we don't see this as something that could come on stream in the next couple of years, in time to replace our two Whitehorse diesel generators that need to be retired. In terms of meeting that short-term requirement, Yukon Energy believes natural gas is the best option available to us at the moment. 
Energy Supply
Jul 20, 2013  Comment

No Shortage of Diesel Fuel to Power Faro

There is apparently a rumour going around Faro that Yukon Energy is running out of diesel fuel to provide power to the community. We have been using our backup diesel generators to serve both Faro and Ross River for the past several days, since our transmission line into the area is de-energized because of forest fires. Please know that there is no shortage of diesel fuel. We still have six days of fuel left and are having another week's worth of fuel being delivered tomorrow morning, so rest assured there is plenty of diesel to keep your lights on. On another matter, we had hoped that we could re-connect Ross River and Faro to the grid on Monday. However since our last report to you several hours ago, we have flown our transmission line and have found about 40 kilometres of danger trees that must be removed before we can re-energize the line. This will take several days, so you will continue to be served with diesel for some time yet. We will provide further updates as we have new information. Thank you for your patience and please know that we are working as quickly as possible (and safely) to restore your community to the hydro grid. If you have questions over the week-end about Yukon Energy's service to your area, please call 867-335-1519.
Community Involvement, Environment
Jul 22, 2013  Comment

The Latest Marsh Lake Water Levels

Each summer, Yukon Energy regularly publishes the water levels on Marsh Lake as a public service to those who live or have property in the Southern Lakes. The latest levels can be found at the bottom of this page. Please let us know if you have any questions after looking at the chart.
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.
General
Jul 23, 2013  Comment

This Week’s Visitor

This visitor was hanging around our Whitehorse hydro facilities this week.

Energy Supply
Jul 22, 2013  3

Is Green Energy A Pipe Dream?

 Here's an article that was in yesterday's Edmonton Sun. We'd be interested in hearing your thoughts. Green energy a pipe dream; countries around world realizing that traditional energy only viable way to go Lorne Gunter, Edmonton Sun Sun Jul 21 2013 This week, Australia and Spain both cancelled most or all of their enormous subsidies for green energy. Germany has done so already. And Britain is expected to follow suit shortly. Why? The subsidies are backbreakingly expensive and utterly useless. No matter how much money governments throw at wind power, solar power or other alternate energy sources, the results are always the same: little or no new energy is produced and there is no reduction in carbon emissions despite the billions thrown at green projects. The Spanish government, like most European governments, is staggering under a mountain of public debt after having used borrowed money for decades to pay for massive social benefits. Spain's green energy subsidies were among the most generous in Europe -- about $5.75 billion annually in a country of 47 million people. Madrid's deep commitment brought it much praise from environmentalists who have held Spain up as a shining example of what governments can achieve if only they find sufficient will to act. Except all of Spain's expensive actions have led to nothing: no energy revolution, no new green jobs, no reduction in greenhouse gases. Madrid's chosen form of subsidy, like Ontario's, has been to vastly overpay producers of alternate energy for the meager amounts of non-carbon electricity they provide. As in Ontario, this has meant billions given to windmill companies and solar panel owners even though their projects are uneconomic and their electricity is hard to get to market. From the beginning, Spain was warned by free-market economists that its plan was destined to fail -- and bound to waste billions of tax dollars. But, as with so many governments and environmentalists, Spain has been guilty of magic-wand thinking: If only it would spend enough money giving green energy a nudge, non-carbon energy would magically become profitable and painlessly replace carbon-based based fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal. Well, when nudging didn't produce the promised results -- dynamic new industries and scads of new, well-paying, morally satisfying "green" jobs -- Spain decided to try a two-handed shove to get its alternate energy sector going. If small subsidies weren't enough, surely big ones would be. That didn't work either. Indeed, it's hard to believe thinking people ever believed it could. Green energy hasn't failed to replace traditional sources because of lack of public funding. It has never rivaled traditional energy because economically it can't. Just look at solar energy. With traditional energy, the power is generated comparatively cheaply in centralized locations. From there it is distributed to consumers via an electrical grid. With solar energy, the power is produced in smaller amounts in decentralized locations from which it must be collected via a grid only to then be redistributed to customers. Despite billions in tax dollars given to Spanish (and Ontario) solar producers, no one has yet found an economic way to connect thousands of collection sites to millions of consumers. The solution, so far, has been for governments to overpay for solar power (sometimes on the order of 20 times the market rate for electricity) in hopes that somehow this would provoke a profitable industry. But that was self-evidently doomed to fail from the start. Wind power is simply too unpredictable. For instance, too often when it is hot and more power is needed to run air conditioners, it is also calm. There is simply no wind to generate power. Australia announced this week it was giving up on carbon taxes that were adding hundreds of dollars to Australians' power bills without any appreciable reduction in power consumption or emissions. These countries are coming to realize green energy is a dream, only -- and a very expensive one. - - - lorne.gunter@sunmedia.ca  

More 

About Us

Energy in Yukon

Sustainability

Community Support

Customer Service

Health and Safety

Contact us

Ask Steph

Français