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Community Involvement, Energy Supply
Jul 05, 2011  Comment

Southern Lakes Public Meetings

Yukon Energy has two public meetings scheduled for the next week to update people on the Marsh Lake Enhanced Storage Concept. Wednesday July 6: 7:30 p.m. at the Tagish Community Club Tuesday July 12: 7 p.m. at the Marsh Lake Community Centre We will also spend some time at these meetings providing information on what we expect the peak summer lake levels will be this year.
Energy Supply
Jul 06, 2011  Comment

Downed Line

A downed high voltage transmission line just south of the sewage lagoons in Whitehorse caused a wide-spread power outage tonight. Power went out at just before 8 p.m. to several Yukon communities, including Whitehorse, south to Teslin, and north to communities on the Mayo to Dawson section of the grid. The Minto and Alexco mines were also affected. Haines Junction, Faro and Pelly Crossing were not affected and their power remained on. At the time of this blog posting (approximately 10:30 p.m.) crews were on their way to repair the downed line. We are still investigating what caused the line to come down. Most customers have now had their power restored. A rumour began this evening in Whitehorse that there had been a breach of our dam. That is not true. During a power outage we are not able to put water through our turbines, so we must spill it under our gates. This is standard procedure; it is one of the first things we do in any outage and that's what we did tonight. Watch this blog tomorrow for further details.
Energy Supply
Jul 07, 2011  Comment

More Information on Last Night’s Outage

Crews worked through the night to make repairs to a power pole structure and re-connect the downed high voltage transmission line that caused last night's outage. All service is back to normal, with grid communities being served by hydro from our Whitehorse and Aishihik hydro plants. A couple of questions have come out of last night's outage that we would like to address: 1. How often are the transmission lines and poles checked? We do annual aerial inspections (using a helicopter) of all our lines and poles. Any problems with the structures are identified and repaired. We recently inspected our Mayo to Dawson line and will fly our transmission system between Whitehorse and Aishihik, and Whitehorse and Faro/Ross River next week. This schedule was set even before last night's outage.  2. How did a rumour get started that the dam was breaking? We are not certain, although we have been told someone riding a bicycle in the Riverdale area noticed that we were spilling water and thought there was a breach in the dam. We want Yukoners to understand that during a power outage, once the first things we must do is start spilling water though the spill gates at our dam. That's because the water can't go through our turbines if they are not turning, and so we must spill it through our gates or the water would end up going over the top of our dam. That's obviously not something we want to have happen. Spilling water is standard operating procedure and we didn't do anything different in this regard during last night's outage than for any other outage.
Safety
Jul 07, 2011  1

Near Drowning at our Lewes Control Structure

This week there was a near tragedy at our Lewes River Control Structure just south of Whitehorse. A canoeing party of six in three canoes tried to go through the control gates, despite the prominent warning sign on the structure. The group set off from the boat launch up stream wearing their life jackets. However within a few minutes, for whatever reason, some of them removed their safety gear. Two of the canoes passed through one of our control gates without a problem, but the third canoe capsized. A female passenger was trapped under the water and our staff said it was several minutes before she was able to break free of the strong current. One of the other canoes came back for her and was able to pull her to safety. The second person who'd been in the capsized canoe was able to grab his life jacket and put it on before the current dragged him downstream, where he was rescued by his travelling companions.  Yukon Energy staff were working on the structure at the time but they were not able to reach the canoeists to provide assistance. Please, please help us get the message out that it is very dangerous to attempt to travel through the gates. There is a boat lock at the control structure and it should be used by everyone travelling in any kind of watercraft. We are planning a public information session at the control structure this summer to help people understand why they should not travel through the gates, and teach them how to use the boatlock. Watch this blog for details shortly.
Energy Supply
Jul 07, 2011  Comment

Today’s Outage

Power went out this afternoon at 13:41 to the following areas: The southern part of Porter Creek in Whitehorse Dawson City Mayo Alexco Mine Power was restored to almost everyone by 14:06 (Hunker Creek outside of Dawson City took a bit longer and was back on by 14:13). It appears the cause was an issue with generation at our Whitehorse plant but we are still investigating.  
News
Jul 11, 2011  Comment

New Date for Tagish Meeting

We have a new date for our meeting in Tagish. It will take place this Wednesday, July 13th at 7:30 p.m. at the Community Club. We will update the public on the Marsh Lake Enhanced Winter Storage Concept, and will provide a forecast of peak lake levels this summer. Please contact us if you require further information.
News
Jul 12, 2011  Comment

Southern Lakes Public Meetings

Just a reminder that Yukon Energy will host a public meeting tonight starting at 7 o'clock at the Marsh Lake Community Centre to talk about the Marsh Lake Enhanced Storage Concept, and to give our forecast of expected peak lake levels. We'll provide the same information tomorrow night to Tagish residents. That meeting begins at 7:30 at the Tagish Community Club. Everyone is welcome.
Community Involvement, Safety
Jul 14, 2011  Comment

How to Use a Boat Lock

Last week a group of people in three canoes chose to go through the control gates at our Lewes River Control Structure instead of using the boat lock as they should have. One of the canoes capsized and a female was trapped under water for several minutes. While she managed to escape, the end result could have been tragic. We cannot stress enough how dangerous it is to swim or take a boat through the gates. On Wednesday July 20th at 7 p.m. we will hold a safety information night to show people how to use our boatlock and to explain why it is so dangerous to try to take a watercraft through the control gates. Everyone is welcome. It will take place at the Lewes River Control Structure, just off the Alaska Highway on the way to Marsh Lake. Please contact us if you need directions. Instructions on how to use out boat lock can also be found on our website.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jul 14, 2011  Comment

Yukon’s Newest Energy Conservation Kids

Earlier this week Yukon Energy and the Yukon Conservation Society hosted an afternoon of learning and fun for a group of pre-schoolers. The aim was to teach the youngsters about using electricity safely and wisely. This was done through music and dance, storytelling, hands-on science and crafts. Here are a few photos. We hope to work with YCS to offer the program to other children in the near future. Photo credit: www.archbould.com

News
Jul 19, 2011  Comment

Overnight Outage

Power went out this morning at 3:45, affecting customers on the Mayo-Dawson line, some areas of Whitehorse, and communities south of Whitehorse including Carcross, Teslin, Tagish and Marsh Lake. Power was restored to all customers shortly after 5 a.m. The cause of the outage is still under investigation. We should know more later today.
Community Involvement, Energy Supply
Jul 19, 2011  Comment

Energy Charrette Update

You may remember that Yukon Energy hosted a three-day energy charrette this past March. Close to 100 people came together to talk about how to meet the territory's future energy needs. The purpose of the charrette was to educate the participants, help inform Yukon Energy's updated 20-year Resource Plan, develop guiding principles for energy decision making and to find out how Yukoners want to be involved in planning Yukon's energy future. We also held discussions in three rural Yukon communities, and input from those meetings was included as part of the charrette process. We have completed a summary report of the charrette and community meetings, and we want to share it with you. Charrette participants have already had a chance to review it and have made some comments, which you will see at the back of the report. Charrette participants and the general public is invited to an  ‘After Hours’ event  on Monday, July 25th starting at 4:30 p.m. at the High Country Inn, Whitehorse. Together we'll review the summary report. We'll also talk about next steps, including the progress of our updated 20-year Resource Plan, a draft of which we expect to have available later this year.  We hope you can make it.  
Power Outage Updates
Jul 19, 2011  Comment

Cause of Today’s Outage

We now know the cause of the overnight power outage. A malfunctioning speed sensing device on one of our hydro units caused power to go out early this morning. The unit has been taken off line and will remain out of service until any necessary repairs/replacements are made. In the meantime, the electricity demand will be met with our other three Whitehorse hydro generators and our Aishihik hydro units.
Energy Supply, Environment
Jul 21, 2011  Comment

Yukon Energy and Climate Change

Yukon Energy is often asked if we take climate change into account when planning for future energy needs. Indeed we do. This summer we have hired scientists from the Yukon's Northern Climate Exchange to gather information for us on the expected impacts of climate change on the glaciers that feed our hydro systems. The scientists will also make recommendations about what Yukon Energy should do to better prepare for any changes in flow from glaciers. The work will start next month. The scientists will gather information through satellite and aerial photographs and will verify it through work on the ground. They will then compare it with historical data. We expect a report in about a year from now. Some of our staff will also receive training that will help them better understand climate change science, and provide them with tools that can be used when doing current and future resource planning.
Community Involvement
Jul 21, 2011  Comment

Marsh Lake Water Levels

Each summer Yukon Energy provides a forecast of what we expect the peak water levels will be in Marsh Lake. Here is the latest information we have. The solid blue line indicates the levels to date, and the dotted red line shows our forecast for the rest of this summer and into the fall. We do not expect this to be an exceptionally high water year nor do we anticipate to see flooding of properties. However we monitor the levels daily and will update this chart on a regular basis over the next several weeks, particularly if anything changes (i.e. a long stretch of very hot weather or a long stretch of heavy rain) in terms of our forecast.
Media Releases
Jul 11, 2011  Comment

Yukon Conservation Society and Yukon Energy Partner on Children’s Programming

Is there a child in your family who wants to be an Energy Conservation Kid? If so, the Yukon Conservation Society wants to hear from you. YCS has teamed up with Yukon Energy to deliver an energy conservation pilot project for young children. “The goals of YCS and Yukon Energy are aligned with this project,” said YCS Energy Coordinator Anne Middler. “We want to help build a conservation culture starting with our littlest energy consumers.” The Energy Conservation Kids Ed-Venture program is designed for youngsters between the ages of three and five along with a parent or guardian. The pre-schoolers will learn about energy conservation and electrical safety through an afternoon of stories, songs, and other activities. They’ll also receive a bag of energy conservation products and information to take home and share with their families. “One of the consistent comments we heard during our recent energy charrette is that there’s a need for more public education about energy conservation,” Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson said. “We think programs such as this for pre-schoolers will help them establish life-long patterns of using electricity wisely. Children also tend to be great ‘energy ambassadors’ within their circle of family and friends.” The pilot project is being launched on Tuesday, July 12 in Whitehorse at the Yukon Conservation Society. If it is successful, Yukon Energy and the Yukon Conservation Society will consider expanding it to other dates and locations. To register a child, contact the Yukon Conservation Society at 668-5678 or ycsenergy@gmail.com. Contact: Anne Middler Energy Coordinator Yukon Conservation Society (867) 668-5678 ycsenergycoordinator@gmail.com Janet Patterson Communications Supervisor Yukon Energy Corporation (867) 393-5333 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca

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