About Us

Energy Supply
Jun 16, 2011  Comment

Explaining the Mayo Lake Enhanced Storage Project

As you are aware if you read this blog regularly, Yukon Energy's goal is to ensure that any new projects we undertake produce energy that is reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible, and flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the territory. Projects that enhance our existing hydro facilities reflect these principles, since they displace non-renewable energy sources such as diesel without requiring as large a footprint as initiatives such as new dams. That's why we are considering an idea we call the Mayo Lake Enhanced Storage Project. We are proposing that we be allowed to lower the current licensed minimum level for the lake by up to one metre. This would give us additional water that we would use to displace diesel generation. This newsletter provides more details (as well as giving an update on our Mayo B project). Once you've had a chance to read the newsletter, we welcome your questions or comments. There is a community dinner and open house scheduled for Wednesday June 22nd to provide more information to the public. It's taking place at the curling rink lounge in Mayo. A meal will be served between 6 and 7 p.m., with a presentation and discussion from 7 to 9 p.m. Everyone is welcome. 
Energy Supply, Reliability
Jun 17, 2011  Comment

One Integrated Grid

Yukon Energy's Carmacks-Stewart transmission line is now in service. The line has allowed us to join together what were until last night two separate grids: the Mayo-Dawson grid in the northern Yukon and the Whitehorse-Aishihik-Faro transmission line in the southern part of the territory. This connection gives us the ability to manage our transmission system as one integrated grid. It will provide us with a lot more flexibility and it will allow us to make the most efficient use of our hydro resources. If we need more renewable power in the South, we can now provide that power from our Mayo hydro plant. If more clean power is needed in the North, we can provide it via our Aishihik or Whitehorse plants. The true benefits of this new line will come starting late this year, once we have Mayo B and Aishihik 3 in operation. Together, these legacy assets will provide Yukoners with renewable power for many years. Photo: (L-R) Yukon Energy Chair Piers McDonald, Yukon MP Ryan Leef, Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski, and Yukon Energy president David Morrison push a computer button symbolizing the energizing of the Carmacks-Stewart line. Photo credit: Christian Kuntz.
Energy Supply
Jun 17, 2011  Comment

Life Without Hydro Electricity

Something to think about.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 20, 2011  1

Saving Energy Your Way

Yukon Energy is going on the road. Together with Yukon Electrical Company Limited and the non-profit group One Change, we are about to begin a tour of the territory. The purpose is two-fold: to get your ideas on what a Yukon-wide energy conservation plan should look like, and to provide you with some tools and simple ideas about how you can save money on your electricity bill. We'll be giving away energy efficient products, will have some interactive displays, and in some communities we'll be accompanied by a walking, talking light bulb! If you come to our meetings we'll put your name in a draw for an energy efficient fridge. Watch this blog for a detailed schedule (coming soon) or go to www.onechange.org/yukon2011/. Photo from One Change's website.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 22, 2011  Comment

Details About Our Community Tour

In the previous blog posting we wrote about the community tour we are about to embark on with Yukon Electrical Company Limited and the group One Change to talk about energy conservation. There are two teams travelling around the territory, one of which will be accompanied by a walking, talking light bulb! There are fun, family-oriented events planned for most Yukon communities. Here is the schedule of public events to date (final arrangements are still being made in some communities). Many of the meetings are taking place outdoors, weather permitting. We hope you are able to drop by. The folks from One Change will also in some cases be going door to door handing out energy saving products. Old Crow - June 23 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - community hall Faro - June 24 - 6:30 to 8 p.m. - rec centre Dawson City - June 25 - 1 to 3 p.m. - picnic shelter beside the farmers' market Ross River - June 25 at 1 to 3 - between the First Nation office and the store Pelly Crossing - June 26 at 1 to 3 p.m. - Link Building Carmacks - June 27 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. - Recreation Centre parking lot Teslin - June 27 from 4 to 6 p.m. - community park Whitehorse - June 28 from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. - in front of the Elijah Smith Building  on Main Street Watson Lake - June 28 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. - Watson Lake Recreation Centre Burwash Landing - June 29 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. - beside the wash house Haines Junction - June 30 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. - Madley General Store parking lot Whitehorse - July 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Shipyards Park
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 22, 2011  Comment

Retire My Fridge

Yukoners can now save energy and money by getting rid of their old but working refrigerators and freezers. Yukon Energy and the Yukon government's Energy Solutions Centre are partnering on a fridge and freezer retirement program. Here's how it works: contact the Energy Solutions Centre (ESC) and tell them you have one or two old fridges or freezers that you'd like to get rid of. The appliances must be in current use and they must be five or more years old. ESC will arrange for up to two appliances to be picked up and taken to the landfill. They'll pay the landfill tipping fee and you'll receive $50 towards the cost of each new fridge or freezer that you purchase! Most homeowners aren't aware that it can cost $100 or more per year to run an older fridge. This program doesn't just give financial incentives off the top, but it also provides ongoing energy bill savings, as the new energy efficient appliances require less electricity. Call The Energy Solutions Centre at 393-7063 or toll free in Yukon at 1-800-661-0408 ext. 7063 to register for this program. You can visit their website to get further details.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 24, 2011  Comment

Talking Energy Conservation in Old Crow

It was the perfect start to our Yukon energy conservation tour. Representatives from the non-profit group One Change travelled to Old Crow yesterday with officials from Yukon Energy and Yukon Electrical Company Limited to kick-off a series of visits to 11 communities in the territory. The purpose was: 1) to find out what people feel should be included in a Yukon-wide energy conservation plan; and 2) to share energy conservation products and information that can help people save money on their electricity bills. People were generous with their time and their suggestions. For Old Crow, a fly-in community dependant almost entirely on diesel generation for its electricity needs (apart from one building that has solar panels), finding alternative energy sources is paramount. In particular, the local First Nation government is interested in seeing more energy efficient homes built, and is anxious to explore wind and solar possibilities. It was pointed out to us that most people still use the old incandescent light bulbs, because replacing them with more energy efficient lighting is just too expensive. All these comments will be taken into account as we work to create a Yukon energy conservation plan. We thank the people of Old Crow for taking the time to meet with us, and we look forward to hearing what Yukoners in other communities have to say. For people in Faro, we hope to see you today from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the recreation centre. Photos below by Justin Kennedy: 1) walking about town giving away bags of energy conservation products and information; 2) Stuart Hickox, President of One Change; 3) Yukon Energy's Shannon Mallory hands out energy conservation products and talks to two Old Crow residents about ways of saving electricity.

Power Outage Updates
Jun 27, 2011  Comment

Yesterday’s Power Outage

An unfortunate set of circumstances resulted in an outage yesterday in Mayo, Keno, Elsa, Stewart Crossing, and Dawson City. Power went out on the Mayo-Dawson line at 3:43 p.m. as a result of what we believe was a lightning strike. Power was restored to the town of Dawson seven minutes later (six minutes in one section of town and seven minutes in the other) using the Dawson back-up diesels. However power didn’t come back on in the Hunker Creek industrial area until 7:45 p.m. A problem on what is known as the ‘express feeder’ that serves Hunker Creek prevented us from re-energizing that section of line. While that feeder is now working fine, we will be sending a crew there this week to investigate the problem. In Mayo, Keno and Elsa power also took considerably longer to be restored. Normally in a Mayo outage we would use our back-up diesels in the community. For whatever reason, the diesels did not work last night. We would have fed Mayo using Dawson diesel, but the issue on the Hunker Creek portion of the line prevented us from doing that. Power was restored to Mayo at 7:42 last night and to Elsa and Keno, including the Alexco mine, at 9:20 p.m. We have just recently energized the Carmacks-Stewart line and have been feeding Mayo and Dawson with hydro from the Whitehorse-Aishihik-Faro grid for the last several days. However we are still fine tuning the protection equipment at our Stewart Crossing substation. During this outage, the protections did not work as we expected them to and so we had to send someone to Stewart Crossing to manually close the breaker, allowing us to again feed Mayo, Elsa, Keno and Stewart Crossing with hydro power from Whitehorse. This morning, all our customers are back on hydro power from our Whitehorse and Aishihik plants. Today crews will be investigating the cause of the Mayo diesel problem, and then the necessary repairs will be made. The protections at the Stewart Crossing substation will be adjusted so that in another outage on the Mayo-Dawson line, hydro power should continue to be delivered from the southern portion of the Yukon grid. We are also sending another back-up diesel to Mayo this week. According to the weather forecast we could see more lightning activity in the Mayo/Dawson area today. We are watching closely and are doing everything we can to prepare for another potential outage. We sincerely apologize to those who were affected by the power outage.  
Energy Supply
Jun 28, 2011  Comment

Getting Hammered by Lightning

Once again yesterday there were power outages as a result of lightning. Here are the details: There was a lightning strike on our line between Stewart Crossing and the Minto mine at 4:05 p.m. It caused an outage in Dawson, Mayo, Keno, Elsa, Stewart Crossing, and the Minto mine. There was also a brief outage at the Minto mine and Porter Creek, Crestview, and McPherson subdivisions in Whitehorse. Minto switched to their back-up diesels so they were only off a few minutes, as were the Whitehorse customers. Power was restored to the town of Dawson within six minutes. After we got Dawson back on using the back-up diesels in the community, we decided to keep them on diesel instead of putting them back on the grid, since there was still a lot of lightning activity. It turned out to be a very good decision, because there was a second lightning strike last evening at 6:36 which would have again caused Dawson to lose power. Since they were islanded from the grid, their power was not affected. We continued to keep them on diesel overnight as a precaution. We had planned to take them off diesel this morning, but Northwestel’s phone and internet services to Dawson are down (again because of lightning strikes) and until we have communications with our staff we can’t switch Dawson City back on to the grid. In terms of the rest of the outage area (the Hunker Creek area outside of Dawson, and the Mayo/Keno/Elsa area), power was off for a total of about 2 and a half hours. Power came back on at 6:13 p.m. but the second lightning strike caused it to go off again about 20 minutes later. Power was restored the second time at 6:56 p.m. We had the same issues with yesterday’s outage that we had on Sunday in that our Mayo diesels were not available to us and there was an issue with the express feeder to Hunker Creek. Our crews had been on their way to Dawson and Mayo to address the problems from Sunday’s outage when power went out yesterday and they had to turn around so they could help with the restoration. Those crews plan to perform the repairs today that they had expected to do yesterday. All communities except Dawson are back on the grid this morning. If you have any influence at all over the weather gods, please ask them to give us a lightning free day so we can do the work we need to do on our northern system! Again, we apologize to everyone who was affected by yesterday's outages.
News
Jun 29, 2011  Comment

Our Energy Conservation Tour Comes to Whitehorse

Yesterday our One Change energy conservation tour took us to Main Street in Whitehorse. We had lots of people stop by to pick up some free energy saving products, experience our interactive displays, and fill out a questionnaire about what they'd like to see included in an energy conservation plan. Today the team moves on to Burwash Landing, and tomorrow they'll be in Haines Junction (find the full schedule here). They'll be back in Whitehorse on Canada Day. Look for them at Shipyards Park. Also watch for the walking, talking light bulb that will be in the Canada Day parade. Here are a few shots from yesterday. 1, 2 and 3) One Change representatives and Yukon Energy staff talk to local residents; 4) a couple tries out a device that shows the amount of power it takes for a standard incandescent lightbulb as opposed to a compact florescent (CFL) bulb. Photos: www.archbould.com  
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Jun 30, 2011  Comment

Energy Conservation Kids Ed-Venture

Yukon Energy and the Yukon Conservation Society are teaming up to provide an afternoon of learning and fun, focused on energy conservation and electricity. This program is for children between the ages of three and five. Children must be accompanied by a parent (two children per parent). There is no cost to families. When: Tuesday July 12th ~ 2 to 3:30 p.m. Location: 302 Hawkins Street, Whitehorse in the Yukon Conservation Society's backyard wall tent There'll be activities, songs, snacks, and take-home goodies. Space is limited, so sign up today by calling 668-5678 or emailing ycsenergy@gmail.com
Energy Supply
Jul 04, 2011  Comment

Why the Deisel in Dawson?

Today's question: why is Dawson burning diesel now? With the Stewart tie-in there appears to be a lot of available hydro electricity on the Whitehorse-Aishihik-Faro grid. Why aren't we seeing that tie-in do its work? There was a great deal of lightning activity in the Dawson area last week. We had a number of outages as a result. Several days ago we made the decision to isolate Dawson City from the grid and use local diesel instead, to avoid any further outages for our customers there. Now that the lightning activity has subsided, we have put Dawson back on our transmission grid and there is no diesel being burned. The energy consumption chart you see on our website is currently being converted over to show that we now have one integrated grid, so the data you see there today is outdated. We will make the conversion as soon as possible so that once again you will be able to view near realtime data.
News
Jul 04, 2011  Comment

Reporting to You

Our 2010 Annual Report is now available. If you have any questions after reading it, please let us know.
Media Releases
Jun 17, 2011  Comment

Carmacks-Stewart Transmission Line Energized

With the push of a button, the Governments of Canada and Yukon and the Yukon Energy Corporation officially joined Yukon’s two major transmission grids today. This marks the completion of the second stage of the Carmacks-Stewart Transmission Project and a major phase of the overall Yukon Green Energy Legacy Project. “With Stage 2 of the Carmacks-Stewart Transmission Project complete, Yukoners will benefit from access to additional sources of renewable power,” said Mr. Ryan Leef, MP for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities. “Our government is proud to support projects such as this, which improve the quality of the environment and lead to more sustainable economies.” “Yukon’s partnership with the federal government led to the Carmacks-Stewart Transmission Project becoming a reality,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said. “This clean energy project brought jobs and investments to Yukon, while its completion will mean long-term economic growth and environmental improvements.” “This project would not have been possible without the support of the federal and Yukon governments,” Yukon Energy president David Morrison said. “Their financial contributions are integral to our goal of finding energy sources that are reliable, affordable, environmentally responsible, and flexible enough to meet the changing needs of Yukon.” Stage 2 of the Carmacks-Stewart transmission line connects the Whitehorse-Aishihik-Faro and Mayo-Dawson grids. It enables Yukon Energy Corporation to manage its assets as one integrated system, creating greater efficiencies and allowing for better use of hydro resources. In addition to the Carmacks-Stewart transmission line, the Yukon Green Energy Legacy Project also includes enhancements to the Mayo B hydro generation facility. Scheduled for completion by the end of this year, it involves building a new powerhouse downstream from the existing one and significantly reducing greenhouse gases from energy production. The estimated cost of the entire Yukon Green Energy Legacy Project is $160 million. The Government of Canada has committed up to $71 million through the Green Infrastructure Fund. The remainder is being provided by the Yukon government through the Yukon Development Corporation and the Yukon Energy Corporation. The project also offers investment opportunities to the local First Nations. This investment also supports the Government of Canada's integrated Northern Strategy that is focused on strengthening Canada’s sovereignty, protecting our environmental heritage, promoting economic and social development as well as improving and devolving governance. The Green Infrastructure Fund supports sustainable energy generation and transmission, along with municipal wastewater and solid waste management infrastructure. Across all of its funds, Infrastructure Canada has now committed $11 billion toward approximately 6,400 infrastructure projects as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. When combined with the contributions of our funding partners, there is over $31 billion committed to infrastructure projects across the country. To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit www.actionplan.gc.ca. For more information on Government of Canada investments in infrastructure, visit www.creatingjobs.gc.ca. For further information contact: Vanessa Schneider Director of Communications Office of the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities 613-991-0700 Infrastructure Canada 613-948-1148 Toll free: 1-877-250-7154 Janet Patterson Supervisor, Communication Yukon Energy Corporation 867-393-5333 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca Brianne Young Cabinet Communications Government of Yukon 867-633-7949 brianne.young@gov.yk.ca
Media Releases
Jun 23, 2011  Comment

One Change, Yukon Energy and Yukon Electrical Launch Campaign “Saving Energy Your Way!”

One Change today kicked off a unique campaign in Yukon designed to give residents a voice regarding future electricity-saving initiatives in their communities. The campaign, sponsored by Yukon Electrical Company Limited and Yukon Energy Corporation, begins today in Old Crow, a fly-in First Nation community of 400 north of the Arctic Circle, and culminates in Whitehorse on July 1st in conjunction with Canada Day festivities. In each community, One Change will be hosting interactive public events, providing Yukon residents with free energy efficient products and educating everyone that simple actions matter. “During this campaign, our simple action will be listening,” said Stuart Hickox, founder and president of One Change. “We want to hear from Yukon residents about what will work in their communities and let them know that conservation is an important part of the energy solution. We are also very excited to hear what people have to say in northern communities because they are already seeing the effects of climate change. ” “We heard very clearly from participants at our recent energy charrette that energy conservation must be an integral part of any resource planning that we do,” said Yukon Energy president David Morrison. “This community tour will give us an opportunity to hear more from Yukoners about what they’d like to see in a territory-wide energy conservation plan.” “Yukon Electrical always welcomes an opportunity to listen to our customers,” said Dwight Redden, General Manager of Yukon Electrical Company Limited. “We need input to develop a plan that will work for our communities and give Yukoners a real stake in how we move forward on electrical conservation.” After the campaign concludes, a summary report will be compiled and released. For a list of Yukon communities being visited, go to www.onechange.org/yukon2011/. About One Change One Change is an award-winning not-for-profit, non-partisan organization based in Ottawa, Ontario with project offices throughout Canada and the United States. One Change empowers people to believe that simple actions matter and to make smart choices that protect the environment. One Change delivers innovative community-based social marketing campaigns aimed at encouraging people to adopt environmentally-friendly behaviours, including its flagship energy efficiency campaign, Project Porchlight. To date, One Change has engaged and trained more than 12,000 volunteers in over 900 communities across North America. One Change programs convert environmental awareness into action by mobilizing volunteers and existing community groups to be spokespeople for environmental messages in their own neighbourhoods. About Yukon Electrical Company Limited The Yukon Electrical Company Limited has been providing electrical service to Yukoners for over a century. Chartered in 1901, the pioneer company began generating electricity for the residents of Whitehorse using a wood-fired, horizontal piston steam engine. Since then, Yukon Electrical has grown to serve over 16,400 customers in 19 communities from south of the Yukon border to north of the Arctic Circle. A private, investor-owned utility, Yukon Electrical is a member of the ATCO Group of Companies. Its head office and service centre is in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. About Yukon Energy Established in 1987, Yukon Energy is a publicly owned electrical utility that operates as a business, at arms length from the Yukon government. We are the main generator and transmitter of electrical energy in Yukon. We work with our parent company Yukon Development Corporation to provide Yukoners with a secure supply of clean, electrical energy by focusing on renewable sources of power and energy solutions that complement our legacy hydro assets. For more information: Sara Haskill Marketing Manager - One Change (Ottawa) Phone: 613-232-5892 x 208 sara.haskill@onechange.org Janet Patterson Supervisor, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation Phone: 867- 393-5333 Cell: 867- 335-1519 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca Laura Carlson Corporate Communications Advisor The Yukon Electrical Company Limited Phone: 867-633-7010 Cell: 867-334-5534 laura.carlson@atco.com

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