The History of Power in Yukon

We thought you might be interested in learning about Yukon's electrical history. Here is a brief summary:

Early 1900s:
The completion of the White Pass and Yukon Railway from Skagway to Whitehorse made it possible to transport the heavy equipment necessary to build hydroelectric facilities.

Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. started generating electricity for people in Whitehorse using a wood-fired steam engine. It only supplied power from the time it got dark until about midnight. In the winter, power was also supplied for a short period every morning.

1930s:
The introduction of household appliances created a greater demand for electricity in the Whitehorse area. Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. made power available on Monday mornings for washing and on Tuesday mornings for ironing.

1935:
Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. began supplying power on a 24-hour basis.

1940s:
The construction of the Alaska Highway brought a large influx of U.S. army personnel to Whitehorse. While Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. continued to serve civilians, the army supplied its own power, using diesel generators. When the American army left, it gave the diesels to the Canadian army.

1948:
The Northwest Territories Power Commission, a federal Crown Corporation, was established to oversee the construction and operation of power plants in the northern territories.The federal government took on this task in Yukon because it didn’t feel Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. had the financial means to meet the growing demand for electricity in the territory. The agency was later renamed the Northern Canada Power Commission.

1949:
Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. started operating a small hydro facility at Fish Lake near Whitehorse.

1951:
The Northern Canada Power Commission built the Mayo hydro plant to serve the United Keno Hill Mine in Elsa.

1958:
The Northern Canada Power Commission completed and began operating the Whitehorse hydro dam. As a result, power rates decreased by about 16 percent.

Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. was sold to an Alberta firm, Canadian Utilities.

1975:
The Northern Canada Power Commission built the Aishihik hydro facility to provide additional power to Whitehorse, and to serve the Faro mine.

1980:
Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. became a member of the ATCO group of companies, after Alberta-based ATCO took over ownership of Canadian Utilities.

1987:
All the Northern Canada Power Commission's assets in Yukon were devolved to the territorial government. The Yukon government formed Yukon Energy to take over these assets. Yukon Energy, in turn, asked the Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. to manage and operate the generating facilities.

1997:
Yukon Energy decided not to renew our contract with Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. but instead we opted to operate and manage our own assets. It has been that way ever since, with Yukon Energy being the main producer of power, and Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. being the main distributor.