Is it True that Yukon Energy is Looking at Using Waste to Produce Electricity?

Today's question: Is it true that Yukon Energy is looking at using waste to produce electricity?

Thanks for your question. You are correct. Yukon Energy is studying technology that takes ordinary household garbage and, through a high temperature gasification process, turns it into clean electricity. A bonus is that the waste heat created through this process can be used to warm buildings.

We think there’s enough garbage in Whitehorse and the surrounding area to produce up to two megawatts of electricity year round.

While this has been used in other countries such as Scotland with good success, it’s new technology for the Canadian North. That’s why we are carefully doing our homework before making a decision about whether this is a good fit for Yukoners. For instance, we need to make sure there is enough waste. We want to be 100 percent certain that all harmful emissions are removed to air emission/control standards. We need to know that if this system is put in place, there will still be a strong emphasis on recycling and waste diversion. We also need to find a logical spot for the waste-to-energy plant where nearby homes or businesses can benefit from the valuable steam and waste heat byproducts.

If everything looks good, we could be turning waste into electricity within two to three years. Watch this blog for updates in the days ahead.