Why Serve Mines?

We are often asked, "Why serve mines, since they require so much electricity?" Yukon Energy has an obligation, within reason, to serve all customers who hook up to our grid, whether that be a mine, a subdivision, or a single residential customer. 

Remember that all Yukoners on our transmission grid are benefitting today from legacy hydro assets that were built to serve mines in decades past.

Some people believe that if it weren’t for the mines, there would be enough renewable power in the territory to serve everyone all the time without resorting to thermal sources. That’s actually not the case.

Our mining customers only require about 10 percent of the power we produce. Even with no mines operating, we would still likely have to supplement our hydro with some diesel or LNG during the coldest times of the year.