News & Events

Check this section for Yukon Energy's latest news and coming events.

If you have questions about any of the information posted here, please contact:


Communications and Community Relations
Phone: (867) 393-5398
Email: communications@yec.yk.ca

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.
General
Jul 25, 2011  Comment

Results from our Latest Public Opinion Survey

You might recall that during the summer of 2010 Yukon Energy hired a firm to conduct a series of phone and on-line opinion surveys for us. The purpose of the surveys was to get a sense of what the general Yukon public and local business and community leaders know and believe about the Corporation. The information gathered assisted us in developing a public information campaign aimed at helping Yukoners better understand who Yukon Energy is, what we are working to achieve, and why. In early 2011, after carrying out one phase of the public information campaign, we did a follow up survey to see if the public's knowledge about Yukon Energy had changed. The results of the earlier survey can be found here and here, and the latest survey results are here. Yukon Energy recognizes the importance of providing you with on-going information about our projects and the steps we are taking to provide Yukoners with electricity that is clean, reliable, environmentally responsible, and flexible enough to meet the changing needs of the territory. This blog is just one of a number of methods we are using to try to meet our goal. If you have suggestions about how this blog can be improved, or ideas for other ways of providing you with the information you want and need, please let us know.
Environment
Jul 25, 2011  Comment

Checking Our Air Quality

If you live in Whitehorse you may have noticed that one of our diesel generators is operating today. That's because we are testing the quality of the air coming from the diesel stacks at our Whitehorse plant. This is a requirement of our Air Emissions Permit. The testing takes about six hours per diesel unit and we will test one a day for the next several days (we have seven diesel generators in Whitehorse). The results will be submitted to the Yukon Environment Department later this year once they have been analyzed.
Community Involvement, Environment
Aug 08, 2011  2

A Regal Arrival

The first king (chinook) salmon of the season have reached our fish ladder at the Whitehorse Rapids dam. The salmon began gathering at the bottom of the ladder late last week and the first one ventured up to the viewing tanks on Friday, August 5. Since then we've had a total of 20 salmon go through the ladder - 12 males and 8 females. If you're in the Whitehorse area, we invite you to drop by the fish ladder to see the salmon and learn about their amazing journey from the Bering Sea. You can also view them on our fish cam.
Energy Supply
Aug 11, 2011  Comment

Down it Goes

The mission: to lower a 34 tonne hydro generator 110 meters (about 360 feet) underground. Certainly no easy task, but it was accomplished with precision and grace recently at our Aishihik facility. The seven megawatt unit, commonly referred to as Aishihik 3, is being added to the two existing hydro generators at the plant to help us manage our available water in the most efficient way possible. The generator has had quite a journey. It was manufactured in India, travelled to Vancouver by boat, and was trucked up the Alaska Highway to Aishihik on a large flatbed. A heavy duty crane lowered it to its final resting place in our hydro plant through an underground tunnel. The lowering took close to two hours; with a clearance of only about 15 centimetres (six inches) on each side of the generator, the unit had to be carefully positioned and monitored so that it would not hit the rough rock blasted walls of the service shaft. In preparation for the lowering, crews spent about a month doing planning and preparation, including carrying out detailed inspections and engineering work to ensure the installation would go smoothly. The next step is to finalize placement, and bolt and cement the unit and associated equipment in place. The penstock pipe (the pipe that carries water to the turbine) must also be tied in. Aishihik 3 is scheduled to be operating by late this year. Photos: 1) getting ready to lower the generator down into the tunnel; 2) in its final resting place.

Community Involvement, Environment
Aug 12, 2011  Comment

The Story of the Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder

The Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder, the longer wooden fishladder in the world, was built in 1959. In 2009, to mark the 50th anniversary of the ladder, Yukon Energy had a podcast produced to tell the story of the ladder and its significance for the annual Chinook salmon migration. We thought it would be worth posting it again here for those of you who didn't hear it the first time. We encourage visitors and Yukoners alike to drop by the visitors' centre this month to see the salmon as they travel through the ladder. We are planning a special Appreciation Night next Wednesday, August 17th from 5 to 9 p.m. There'll be children's activities, food and refreshments, great door prizes, and you'll have a chance to see the salmon and learn about their incredible journey from the Bering Sea. Everyone is welcome.
Community Involvement, Environment
Aug 17, 2011  Comment

Tonight’s the Night!

If you're in the Whitehorse area, we hope you can make it to the Whitehorse Rapids Fishladder today from 5 to 9 p.m. for Customer Appreciation Day. It's a very healthy salmon run this year so you'll be guaranteed to see lots of fish, plus there'll be food and refreshments and some great door prizes.
Energy Supply
Aug 23, 2011  1

Young Talent and a New Substation for Mayo

Yukon Energy is fortunate to have a highly skilled and dedicated staff. However we also have some pretty cracker jack contractors working for us. Today we'd like to tip our hat to F & M Installations, the company that is doing a large portion of the work on the new substation that is being constructed in Mayo. Substations transform voltage from high to low, or from low to high in an effort to properly route generated power to where it is needed. Think of them as traffic circles for electricity. In this case, all the power coming from our existing and new Mayo hydro facilities will be routed so that it can be transmitted to any and all communities connected to the Yukon grid. Our existing substation in Mayo is at the end of its life and needs upgrading. That's particularly important with our new Mayo B hydro facility coming into service at the end of this year. F & M Installations is in the first stage of construction, carrying out the civil and foundation work for this project. That involves building and pouring forms that will hold some 500 cubic meters of concrete, establishing the new grounding structure (a mat of 88 underground rods that serves as a protective measure) and installing fencing. Essentially they are constructing the foundations to which the steel lattice work, control building and major pieces of electrical apparatus can be placed in the spring of 2012. The job is going very smoothly and is on time and on budget. What's interesting to note is that the man who's supervising the crew is only 24 years old! Trevor Styan started working at the age of 12 as a ‘shop rat’ at his uncle’s business, Graf Excavating. Now with F & M Installations (a business that works closely with Graf), Trevor has a working relationship with some of his key staff that dates back a dozen years. "I have been, and still am, very fortunate to work with such talented tradespeople so young in my career," said Trevor. "Working together, we become a team that is efficient and effective." In spite of his young age, it's clear by watching the F & M employees that they look up to and respect Trevor. He has the confidence and demeanor of someone twice has age. "I can see that there might have been some trepidation at the beginning of this project with me being so young," said Trevor. "Thankfully the job has gone well and so now I think people can see that I do have the skill and knowledge necessary to ensure the successful completion of projects like this. It's gratifying to have our team put their trust in me." Trevor is modest when talking about himself, preferring to put the spotlight on his staff instead. "Ultimately it is a team of innovative people that lead our projects forward on time and on budget. The owners, project managers, office staff , truck drivers, warehouse mangers, site supervisors, trades, labourers all know what their job entails and every member of our team excels at their tasks." The civil work started July 22 and is expected to be finished in mid-September. FMI’s electrical and structural crew will take over in the spring, and the substation should be in operation by next fall, serving the new Mayo B hydro facility and existing infrastructure for many years to come.  
General
Aug 23, 2011  5

Today’s Curious Visitor

Look who wandered into our Whitehorse diesel plant this morning! Couldn't get him to wear a hardhat though.

Energy Conservation
Aug 25, 2011  Comment

Our New Department

Yukon Energy has a new department. The Energy Conservation Department has been formed to integrate energy conservation and efficiencies into Yukon Energy’s operations. Energy conservation is an important element in helping us meet Yukon’s growing energy needs. At the energy charrette we hosted this past spring, and later in public and stakeholder surveys, we heard a very clear message from Yukoners that energy conservation had to be a major component of our energy planning. Creating a new department shows Yukon Energy's commitment to making energy conservation an essential part of what we do. The two-person department made up of Manager Jessica Thiessen and Administrator Stephanie Whitehead will work on moving forward with Yukon-wide conservation programs that involve the public, private, and industrial sectors. They'll also focus on the Corporation’s own energy use, since it's important that Yukon Energy 'walk the talk'.
Media Releases
Aug 25, 2011  Comment

Yukon Energy Temporarily Resumes Secondary Sales Program

(Whitehorse) – A surplus of available water for electrical generation has allowed Yukon Energy to once again offer its Secondary Sales Program for a short period this summer and fall. The program will be available starting tomorrow and will run until approximately October 1, 2011. The initiative began in 1998. It gives eligible Yukon businesses the option of using hydro power to heat their facilities instead of diesel fuel or propane, both of which are more expensive and generate greenhouse gas emissions. They pay two-thirds of the cost of heating with diesel fuel, in exchange for the service being limited and fully interruptible. They are required to maintain a back-up heating system for use when Secondary Sales are not available. Last September, low water at the Aishihik and Mayo hydro facilities forced Yukon Energy to indefinitely suspend its wholesale Secondary Sales to Yukon Electrical Company Limited (YECL). Secondary Sales were also suspended to Yukon Energy’s retail customer, the Mayo school. However this summer all the Corporation’s reservoirs are essentially full and it has more water than it needs for power production. That's why it can offer the program for the next several weeks. “We’re pleased that we can resume this program, if even for a short period,” Yukon Energy spokesperson Janet Patterson said. “It means businesses and governments can see some savings on their energy bills, and we can receive some financial benefit instead of just seeing the water being spilled.” There are 13 Secondary Sales customers in the territory. -30- Contact: Janet Patterson Supervisor, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation (867) 393-5333 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca

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