The Whitehorse Water Use Relicensing Project
Yukon Energy currently has a water use licence to use water from the southern lakes to generate electricity at the Whitehorse Rapids Generating Station (WRGS). We are seeking to renew our water use licence past May 31, 2025. To do this, we submitted a proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board to renew our licence for 20 years. We are also seeking additional authorizations, such as a Fisheries Act Authorization. Yukon Energy has submitted its Water Use Licence to the Yukon Water Board.
March 2025 Update
To mitigate the risk of not receiving a 20-year water use licence before the current licence expires, Yukon Energy is pursuing a 60-day renewal for its water use licence for the WRGS for June and July 2025. The application was submitted on March 7, 2025. The scope for the 60-day licence is limited to operating Schwatka Lake and diverting water for energy production. Yukon Energy will not be impacting water levels in the Southern Lakes. All gates will be open in June and July at the Lewes Control Structure.
Timeline
- On December 8, 2023, Yukon Energy submitted its Whitehorse Rapids Generating Station Relicensing Project Proposal to the Whitehorse Designated Office of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB).
- Following its assessment, YESAB will make its recommendation about the project to the Decision Bodies.
- The Decision Bodies will then issue a decision document that accepts, rejects, or varies the recommendation.
- The project will then move into the permitting phase so that it can be reviewed by the Yukon Water Board before the licence expires on May 31, 2025.
- The project also requires authorizations under the Fisheries Act (Fisheries and Oceans Canada) and the Canadian Navigable Waters Act (Transport Canada).
- Throughout these processes, Yukon Energy will continue to operate the facility within the parameters of its existing licence and work with First Nations in the project area to complete studies and update the Monitoring and Adaptive Management Plan accordingly.
Why is this water licence important?
- Hydroelectricity is renewable
- Demand for electricity is growing
- While we are building new projects, it is critical we maintain what we have
- The Whitehorse Rapids Generating Station generates 80% of electricity we use in the summer, and 25% of the electricity we use in the winter