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:

Lisa Wiklund
Manager, Community Relations
Yukon Energy Corporation
Phone: (867) 393-5398
Email: Lisa.Wiklund@yec.yk.ca

Community Involvement
Feb 11, 2011  Comment

Learning About the Present With Artifacts From the Past

For the second time in two years, Yukon Energy has teamed up with the Dawson City Museum on a new educational program for Yukon students. In 2009 we were involved in an innovative pilot project that saw students in grades 4-6 experience the hardships and rewards of the Gold Rush in a hands-on way. The program included the students spending an overnight in the Dawson museum. This latest initiative brings the museum to the students instead. Museum staff have developed a kit that is delivered right to the classroom. The kit includes museum artifacts that introduce students to six types of simple machines (lever, wedge, pulley, ramp, screw and wheel). Through a series of experiments and observation exercises, the children learn concepts that are covered in the grade 5 science, math and social studies curriculum. The kit was used recently by a grade 5 class from Robert Service School with great success. The plan now is to make it available to schools throughout Yukon. Congratulations to the Dawson City Museum staff for a job well done. For more information about Yukon Energy’s Corporate Contributions program, visit yukonenergy.ca .
Energy Supply
Feb 14, 2011  Comment

Full Speed Ahead

Work on the Mayo B project continues on time and on budget. Here are some of the most recent photos, taken within the last couple of weeks. 1) exterior of new powerhouse; 2) interior of new powerhouse; 3) section of the penstock (large pipe) that will be buried underground and that will carry water from the Mayo River to the new powerhouse three kilometres downstream; and 4) close up of one piece of the penstock. It is being brought up the Alaska Highway one piece at a time on trucks. The powerhouse is just about finished; the penstock will be installed this spring. The turbines/generators are in production and should arrive in Yukon from China this summer. Mayo B should be in operation late this year or early next.

Community Involvement, Safety
Feb 16, 2011  Comment

Electricity, the Invisible Killer

Every year in Canada there are more than 1,000 contacts with energized high voltage power lines (with vehicles, heavy equipment, trees, etc.). Incidents of break-ins at electrical substations are also fairly common. In both cases, first responders such as the RCMP, fire department, or ambulance attendants are called. If these first responders are not aware of the dangers of energized power lines, they could be seriously injured or killed. This is why Yukon Energy, along with a number of other electrical utilities, partnered with the Canadian Electricity Association to produce a safety DVD called "Electricity the Invisible Killer". Yukon Energy plans to distribute this DVD to first responders throughout the territory. However the information is valuable to all Yukoners. We encourage you to take 20 minutes to watch the video.
General, News
Feb 17, 2011  Comment

Yukon Energy’s Business Plan

Our 2011 Business Plan is now available for you to read.
Energy Conservation
Feb 17, 2011  Comment

Pulling the Plug on Phantom Power

We thought you might find this recent Globe and Mail article interesting and useful.
General, Community Involvement
Feb 18, 2011  Comment

Trades and Technologies: Our Bread and Butter

Skills Canada Yukon is planning another territorial skills competition this April in Whitehorse. As in the past, Yukon Energy will be involved in this event. We think it's an important one for a whole lot of reasons. Trades and technolgies are absolutely crucial to our business. That's why, in 2006, we started an apprenticeship program for Yukon Energy. It was a way of addressing the shortage of skilled workers in Canada and the challenge of attracting qualified candidates to the North. Perhaps more importantly, it gave us a chance to offer trades training and employment to Yukoners. Since that time, about a dozen Yukoners have gone through our apprenticeship program in the areas of power systems electrician, powerline technician, and heavy duty equipment technician. Almost all of them continue to work for us now that they have their journey tickets. Two more are in the process of getting their tickets. We also created a new scholarship a few years ago that was open to Yukon residents entering a trade pre-apprenticeship program or entry level trades program in the following areas: electrician powerline technician electronics technician heavy duty mechanic industrial instrument mechanic millwright (industrial mechanic) machinist You can learn more about our scholarship program by going to our website. We're really looking forward to this year's territorial skills competition, taking place on April 29th at the Whitehorse campus of Yukon College. What's most exciting for us to to have the chance to show young people what can be achieved through trades and technologies. If you're a young person or know someone who is, spread the word. Hope to see you on April 29th. Photo credit: www.archbould.com
General, Community Involvement, Energy Supply
Feb 21, 2011  Comment

Learning from the Next Generation

We've written a few times on this blog about the upcoming energy charrette, planned for March 7 - 9 in Whitehorse. Ahead of that, we're holding a series of public meetings, the second of which is taking place in Mayo tomorrow night from 7 - 9 p.m. at the community hall. One of the things we are very excited about regarding the charrette is that an entire class of grade 11 experiential science students will participate. On Friday, Yukon Energy President David Morrison and Stuart Hickox of One Change spent an afternoon at the school, giving the students some background about the Corporation, about energy in the territory, and about just how important the students' views are in this planning process. Some of the students will be writing about their charrette experience on this blog, and we are very much looking foward to their insights.  Photo credit: Mike Thomas.

Energy Conservation
Feb 22, 2011  Comment

Powering Hot Tubs

Today's question: I am curious to know if the power consumption of a hot tub heater represents a big percentage of the personal consumption during a Yukon winter. This is a difficult question to answer because it depends on the size and energy efficiency rating of the hot tub, and how often you use it. As a rule of thumb though, if you have a six-person hot tub that you heat all the time but only use a couple of hours a week, and if it is well insulated (has an Arctic Package), then you can probably expect to pay between $60 and $75 a month in electricity costs for the unit in the winter. In the summer it will cost significantly less than that. That being said, I have heard about one household that includes people who love to take long hot baths. With the installation of a hot tub, they apparently saw a decrease in their power bills because it costs them less to maintain the temperature of the water in the hot tub than it does to heat water for multiple daily baths. This is merely anecdotal though and I have no proof that this would be the case for other households.
Community Involvement, Energy Conservation
Feb 23, 2011  Comment

Getting the Most Bang for the Conservation Buck

Yukon Energy wants to find out more about how people use electricity in the territory and where the greatest gains might be in terms of Demand Side Management (energy conservation). We've teamed up with the Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. and the Yukon government’s Department of Energy, Mines & Resources to collect this information. We have hired ICF Marbek to do what's called a Conservation Potential Review. Marbek has a reputation of being one of Canada’s top energy consulting firms. Through its research, the company will find answers to the following questions: • How do Yukoners currently use energy (i.e. what percentage of energy consumption goes towards heat, hot water, lighting, plug loads, etc.)? • How much power would Yukon need in future years if there weren't any Demand Side Management (DSM) initiatives put in place? • How much potential is there in Yukon for energy savings through DSM initiatives? • Where are the greatest gains to be made in terms of DSM? The consultants will gather the information using customer billing data, stakeholder consultation and customer surveys. They'll also seek input from an advisory committee consisting of some Yukon and some outside representatives from energy sectors and industry. The work will start later this month, with a final report expected by this fall.
Energy Supply
Feb 23, 2011  1

The Change in Energy Prices

Today's question: How can I find out how much energy prices have gone up for those in Whitehorse compared to the rest of the communities over the past 5 years? I want to know for electricity and oil. Thanks! First of all I should explain that for the first 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, all residential customers in Yukon pay the same rate for electricity no matter what community you live in. Above 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, those communities that are on diesel (Old Crow for instance) pay a higher rate, but the majority of Yukon households stay within that first block of 1,000 kilowatt hours each month. Over the last five years, Yukon Energy has not sought any increases in rates for residential customers. In fact once the Minto mine became our customer, we were able to get approval for a rate decrease for our residential customers of 2.47 percent. However in 2009 the utility that distributes most of the power in the territory, the Yukon Electrical Company Ltd., was granted permission to increase residential rates by 10.5 percent. So in the last five years, the net change in residential rates is that they have gone up approximately 8 percent. As far as oil is concerned, you might try contacting the Yukon Housing Corporation, as I believe they keep track of oil prices.
News, Energy Supply, Regulatory
Feb 24, 2011  Comment

The Northwest Transmission Line and What it Could Mean for Yukoners

There's news out of B.C. today that the province has granted environmental approval to the Northwest transmission line. This is a major step forward in BC Hydro's plan to build a power line from Terrace to Bob Quinn Lake to bring remote areas onto the grid.  Why this news will be of interest to Yukoners is that Yukon Energy has for some time been interested in connecting to the North American grid. That would give us the ability to purchase power when we needed it, and sell any excess power we might have in the summertime.  The construction of the Northwest transmission line would bring the grid 335 kilometres closer to us. While that's still not likely close enough to Yukon to make it affordable for us at this point, it's certainly a move in the right direction. This video gives more information about the transmission line. It references Yukon and in fact shows some footage of our new Carmacks-Stewart transmission line.
News, Energy Conservation, Energy Supply, Regulatory
Mar 01, 2011  2

Your Thoughts on Net Metering

We've had lots of questions over the years about when Yukon was going to develop a net meter policy. Net metering would allow homeowners and businesses that produce their own energy to offset their electrical bills by feeding any surplus power back to the grid. Yukon Energy has been working with the Yukon government and the Yukon Electrical Company Limited to develop a draft policy.  The draft is now ready for public review. Give it a read and let us know what you think. You have until April 29th to provide your comments.
News, Community Involvement
Mar 04, 2011  Comment

Playing Our Part at the Arctic Winter Games

Yukon Energy has just signed on as a major sponsor for the Arctic and Dene Sports at next year's Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse. We are very excited about this partnership. Of all the sports at these circumpolar games, the Arctic and Dene Sports appeal to us the most. That's because at the very heart of these sports is the fact that the competitors share their knowledge and help one another out so that every single one of them can achieve his or her best possible result. This is a theme that has become a core value for us too...working together with as many Yukoners as possible to find the best solutions to Yukon's future energy needs. Whether it's grappling with energy challenges or competing in the two foot high kick, we believe coming together with a common goal in mind can only result in a better outcome. Photo courtesy of the Arctic Winter Games website.
Community Involvement, Energy Supply
Mar 07, 2011  Comment

First Impressions at the Energy Charrette

Today was Day 1 of our energy charrette. Close to 100 Yukon stakeholders, Yukon Energy officials, and energy experts gathered to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing us when it comes to the future of energy in the territory. One of the participants was grade 11 student Claire Lindsey, and she agreed to write this guest post to share some of her impressions. Today was a real eye opener to what the Yukon consumes in matters of energy. At the Yukon Energy Charette, which our Experiential Sciences grade 11 class was invited to, much was learned! I never knew how much planning and time is put into the territory's energy plan for the upcoming years. There are many options to provide energy, yet today I realized that with every option there are pros and cons. Whether it's cost, efficiency, sustainability, reliability, or environmentally challenging; each aspect has to be looked at and everyone has a different perspective as to what is the right solution. However after quick discussion, everyone agreed that there is no one solution. There has to be a combination of solutions that together can efficiently provide enough clean and (hopefully) cheap energy with as little environmental impact as possible. Another issue came up is that the public needs to be more involved with the territory's future, so after the day's discussion at the charette, at 7 in the evening a meeting was held for anyone who wanted to attend and become aware and participate in the future of the Yukon's energy plan. This charette is a great opportunity and already after the first day I have learned so much!   The charrette continues tomorrow and Wednesday, with public evening sessions each night from 7 to 9 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend. The following images were taking this afternoon during working group sessions. Photo credit: www.archbould.com

Media Releases
Feb 23, 2011  Comment

Utilities and Government of Yukon to Assess Energy Usage and Conservation Potential

Yukon’s two electrical utilities and the Yukon government’s Department of Energy, Mines & Resources are taking steps to learn more about how electricity is used in the territory and where the greatest gains might be in terms of Demand Side Management (energy conservation). A selection committee made up of representatives from Energy, Mines & Resources, Yukon Energy and Yukon Electrical Company Limited has contracted ICF Marbek to do a Conservation Potential Review. Marbek is considered to be one of Canada’s top energy consulting firms and is a leader in energy management solutions. The review will look at several areas: • How Yukoners currently use energy (i.e. what percentage of energy consumption goes towards heat, hot water, lighting, plug loads, etc.) • How much power would Yukon need in future years if no Demand Side Management (DSM) initiatives were implemented • How much potential is there in Yukon for energy savings through DSM initiatives • Where are the greatest gains to be made in terms of DSM The review will include residential, commercial, and government customer classes and will be further broken down by service regions. An analysis of government and non-government use will also be done. Information will be gathered using customer billing information, stakeholder consultation, customer surveys, and an external advisory committee consisting of some Yukon and some outside representatives from energy sectors and industry. Work to improve the energy efficiency of existing and future industrial customers will be done on a customer by customer basis. The work is to begin later this month, with a final report prepared by this fall. Contact: Janet Patterson Supervisor, Communications Yukon Energy Corporation (867) 393-5333 janet.patterson@yec.yk.ca Phil Borgel P. Eng Supervising Engineer Yukon Electrical Co. Ltd (867) 633-7069 phil.borgel@atco.com

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