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News, Community Involvement, Energy Conservation, Energy Supply, Environment, Partnerships
Jul 11, 2017  Comment

Making Home Ownership Possible

We'd like to send congratulations out to Habitat for Humanity Yukon, whose volunteers are spending this week finishing the landscaping at an energy efficient duplex in the Whistle Bend subdivision in Whitehorse. Over the past 12 years, the group has helped 18 local lower-income families become homeowners. Yukon Energy's role in the Whistle Bend duplex was to provide money that went towards the purchase and installation of the solar panels seen on the roof in the photo below, and for LED lighting. If you would like to help with the landscaping at this property, or if you want to know more about Habitat for Humanity Yukon, call 456.4349 or email info@habitatyukon.org. Photo: Yukon Energy's President Andrew Hall (left) with Habitat for Humanity Yukon's Executive Director Stu Mackay

News, Media Releases, Energy Supply, Environment, Partnerships
Jul 24, 2017  Comment

Yukon Energy, Northern Climate ExChange and INRS partner to study Mayo and Aishihik rivers

Yukon Energy Corporation (YEC), the Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) at Yukon College and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), a graduate school of the University of Quebec’s network, are partnering to study climate change impacts on the Mayo and Aishihik rivers in Yukon. This three-year research project combines two grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) with funding from Yukon Energy. The total value of the project is close to $1 million with close to half of that in cash and in-kind support coming from the energy corporation. The research team will look at how long-term changes in temperature, snow, rain and permafrost may impact each river in the decades to come. This project will allow Yukon Energy to better manage water in each hydroelectric reservoir in the short term while planning for the effects of climate change over time. The research team will also develop a range of tools to allow Yukon Energy to forecast inflow in the Mayo and Aishihik hydroelectric power plants on timescales ranging from weeks to months. “This research is critical to us in terms of helping us plan for climate change and the implications on our ability to generate hydro power,” Yukon Energy president Andrew Hall said. “Because the Aishihik and Mayo facilities are key assets for us, we must be ready for any future changes in the watersheds that feed them.” “NSERC is proud to support applied research and development in high priority areas such as the environment and climate change,” said Bert van den Berg, Acting Vice-President, Research Partnerships, NSERC. “Connecting industry with applied research expertise at Canadian colleges will result in innovative technologies to help protect our environment and improve the quality of life for Canadians”. For INRS, this project represents an opportunity to expand their research expertise into a new region where they have not previously conducted hydrologic modelling, and with new academic and private sector partners. INRS personnel will conduct research in northern hydrology and build the professional and technological capacities that will help Yukon Energy address climate change challenges. As well, INRS will train YEC professionals on the operation of an inflow forecasting system. “Climate change is already impacting Yukon rivers and lakes in ways we don’t fully understand. We’re excited to continue our work with Yukon Energy and other partners to provide tools and information and help plan for these impacts,” said Brian Horton, project coordinator, Northern Climate ExChange at Yukon College. As the project will study rivers within the Traditional Territories of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations (CAFN) and First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (NND), Yukon Energy and the Northern Climate ExChange are working with each First Nation to determine best locations for the data collection stations. Local First Nations Citizens will be invited to work as field assistants, and all data gathered through this project with be shared with the First Nations. Project researchers are heading into the field this summer to install automatic weather stations in the Mayo and Aishihik river regions. Project teams will also engage local school children in the project with presentations and interactive experiments in the fall term. This project follows from a similar three-year study of the Yukon River recently completed by NCE, Yukon Energy, Yukon Geological Survey, and other collaborators. Based on results from that project, researchers estimate that over the next 30 years, Yukon River flows will increase in fall, winter, and spring months, but that the timing and volume of summer peak flows will remain relatively unchanged. Monitoring of the weather near Llewellyn Glacier is ongoing and NCE researchers have trained YEC staff in the use of the project software to ensure the models are updated with contemporary data. For more information visit: yukoncollege.yk.ca/research/hydrology About INRS : http://www.inrs.ca/english/about-us/overview-inrs For more information, contact: Michael Vernon Yukon College - Communications 867.668.8786 867.332.4722 mvernon@yukoncollege.yk.ca Stephanie Cunha Yukon Energy - Manager, Communications 867.393.5333 stephanie.cunha@yec.yk.ca
News, Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Jul 26, 2017  Comment

Last Night’s Power Outage

Lightning was the cause of a power last night in much of the territory. All communities north of Whitehorse, with the exception of Mayo and Keno, lost power at 7:46 p.m. Electricity was restored to everyone by 8:10 p.m.
News, Energy Supply, Power Outage Updates
Aug 03, 2017  2

Restoration Underway

ATCO Electric Yukon and Yukon Energy crews are working together to respond to an unplanned power outage affecting the following areas: South Alaska Highway between Robert Service Way and Teslin (the Village of Teslin has power); all of Porter Creek; Range Road; and parts of downtown Cause of the outage and estimated restoration times are unknown, although by 8:30 p.m. a number of locations had their power restored.
Events
Apr 23, 2018  1

Opportunities Information Session for Yukon Contractors

Yukon contractors and consultants ... are you looking to do business with Yukon Energy Corporation? You are invited to an information session where Yukon Energy will outline the major contracts we expect to tender this year. Thursday, May 10, 2018 ~ 2 p.m. High Country Inn, Whitehorse Questions? 867-335-5335 procurement@yec.yk.ca
General, News
Apr 13, 2018  Comment

Enjoying the Sun

Two foxes sun themselves this week outside of one of our Whitehorse hydro plants. 

Dec 19, 2017  Comment

Holiday Hours

Please note that we will be closed at noon this Friday for the holidays. We will be back to regular hours December 27–29, and again starting January 2. Merry Christmas everyone. 
News, Energy Supply, Reliability
Nov 20, 2017  1

Insurance Against an Unlikely Outage

If you drive past our Whitehorse facility this week, you may notice some activity going on near our diesel plant and substation. A trailer will arrive on site with four transformers that will be offloaded and connected to the substation. At the same time, four diesel generators of two megawatts each will arrive in Whitehorse and will be stored at a local business off site. This equipment is being brought to Whitehorse as insurance against the very unlikely event that we have an extended winter power outage and lose access to our largest source of generation, our Aishihik hydro plant. We don’t have any reason to believe there will be such an event, but we must be ready for one just in case. Our 2016 Resource Plan identified that should we lose access to Aishihik during the winter months, we may not be able to produce enough electricity to meet demand at peak times. Having access to these four portable diesel generators should we need them ensures that we can continue to provide reliable service this winter even in an emergency. This is a short-term measure. We are working with our parent, the Yukon Development Corporation, and the Yukon government to find more permanent solutions to address the capacity gap. However, as you know, energy projects take time, and we wanted to have a temporary solution in place until new capacity can be added to our system.
Nov 14, 2017  2

Yukon Energy and Victoria Gold Sign Power Purchase Agreement

Yukon Energy and Victoria Gold have signed an agreement for the supply of grid power to Victoria Gold’s Eagle Gold Mine near Mayo. The agreement was signed on November 10th and submitted to the Yukon Utilities Board (YUB) for review the same day (last Friday). The signing of this Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) is a key step towards the connection of the mine to our grid. However Victoria Gold must complete a final round of financing to move on to the next phase of construction next spring. If the Utilities Board approves the PPA, power sales to Eagle Mine would contribute $100 million or more in additional revenues to Yukon Energy over the expected ten-year mine life. This new revenue will benefit all electrical consumers in the territory, and will result in a one- to two-percent reduction in rates for other electricity customers. The agreement commits Victoria Gold to covering the full costs of connecting to Yukon Energy’s main line. As well, the mine will pay most of the costs of a new substation, it will cover YEC’s expenses to negotiate the PPA, and it will pay the costs to make system improvements that will benefit all on-grid Yukon communities. The value of Victoria Gold’s investment in the substation, system improvements, and Yukon Energy’s costs totals more than $11 million. The mine will connect initially to the existing Stewart to Keno City transmission line, which can meet the majority of Victoria Gold’s power needs for the first one-to-two years of its operation. However, the existing line is at end of life and must be replaced as soon as possible. Yukon Energy is continuing to work with the Yukon Development Corporation and the Yukon government to secure funding for a new transmission line. The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyak Dun (NND) has indicated its support for both the Eagle Gold Mine and an upgrade to the Stewart to Keno City transmission line. Yukon Energy is working with NND to reach a project agreement for the prospective line. The Eagle Gold Mine expects to go into production in by mid-2019. Its load requirements would be highest during the summer months, when we have surplus renewable energy. The mine’s operations would slow down in December, January, and February when its requirements for electricity would drop to about half of its summer needs. If Victoria Gold is connected to the grid, Yukon Energy will meet their load with a mix of hydro and thermal resources (most of the thermal will be LNG). The amount of thermal will reduce once more new renewable generation can be added to the system. This emphasizes the need to proceed with renewable projects identified in our 2016 Resource Plan. However a grid connection saves up to 53,000 tonnes per year of greenhouse gas emissions when compared to the mine self-generating using diesel.   A copy of the full application submitted to the YUB can be found at the bottom of this page.  
News, Energy Supply, Reliability
Nov 10, 2017  Comment

What it Means to “Set the Ice”

Throughout this long weekend, we will be spilling some water at our Whitehorse hydro dam. We'll be doing what is called "setting the ice". By spilling water through the gates at our dam instead of letting it flow into our power canal, it allows a good cover of ice to form in the canal. Once the ice has set, chances are greatly reduced of "frazil" or slushy ice forming that can cling to our equipment and cause our hydro generators to shut down. You might remember that happened last year at our Aishihik facility and has happened in the past at our Whitehorse plant. While we are waiting for the ice to form, we will shut down three of our four Whitehorse hydro units during the overnight period, and will only run two of the four turbines in the daytime. We will need to supplement with thermal (mostly LNG with a small amount of diesel) during this time. We hope that the ice will set by the end of the weekend, at which time we can resume normal operations.  Photo: If we do have problems with frazil ice on our equipment, divers need to be called in to use steamers to melt the sticky ice. By working to set this ice this weekend, we hope to avoid frazil problems.
News, Power Outage Updates
Nov 03, 2017  Comment

Today’s Outage in Whitehorse

We are aware of a power outage this afternoon that affected parts of Whitehorse. We have been working with ATCO Electric Yukon to restore power. Most if not all customers should be back on by now. The cause is still under investigation.
News, Energy Supply, Reliability, Safety
Sep 14, 2017  Comment

Brushing Work in Dawson City

Contractors working for Yukon Energy will be in the Dawson City area starting the third week of this month to do brushing under the transmission and distribution lines. This work is necessary to ensure safety and reliability of service. The work is expected to take about three weeks. For more information, please call 1-866-926-3749 or (867) 393-5333 or email stephanie.cunha@yec.yk.ca.
News, Regulatory
Sep 01, 2017  Comment

The Yukon Utilities Board Rules on YEC’s Interim Rate Application

In June, Yukon Energy filed an application with the Yukon Utilities Board (YUB) for a nine percent increase over two years (2017 and 2018). We haven't had a rate change since 2013, meaning this increase would equate to 1.75 percent a year between 2014 and 2018. In keeping with past regulatory practice, we applied for an interim rate for power consumed after September 1st of this year. After seeking comments from interveners, the YUB awarded a rate increase of 5.5 percent effective today. For an average residential customer consuming 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, this change will add $7.50 to monthly power bills. The interim rate will be in place until the YUB makes a final ruling on our general rate application. We expect to have that decision by next spring. When the process is complete and the final rate increase is determined, the YUB will calculate the difference between the awarded rates and the interim rates and will direct us to collect from, or refund to, ratepayers as necessary. Further information about our application can be found in this summary, and here is the full version of the application.
Aug 04, 2017  Comment

August 3rd Power Outage

The cause of the August 3rd outage was related to a failed speed signal to the Whitehorse Hydro Unit #4 governor. The governor controls the electrical output from a hydro unit. The failure of this speed signal causes the hydro unit to shut down as a safeguard to prevent the unit from becoming uncontrollable.  The loss of the speed signal was caused by a control board failure. The equipment was repaired, tested and the unit was placed back on-line. Whitehorse Hydro Unit #4 is the largest hydro unit on the grid. When the generation was lost, the feeders tripped off in an attempt to balance the customer load to remaining generation.
Aug 03, 2017  Comment

2017 Summer Water Levels at Marsh Lake

We have had a few calls from residents of the Marsh Lake area, wondering what lake levels are expected to be over the next month or two. Below is a chart that offers some information. The solid green line shows the water levels to date. The dotted green line shows expected levels for the rest of the summer and fall, with the greyed-out area indicating variations depending on how much rainfall the area receives, and the local temperatures. The blue and purple lines show the lake levels for the previous two years.

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