Whitehorse Power Centres

Yukon Energy will build two new thermal power centres and one new substation in the Whitehorse area to meet electricity needs until 2040.

Demands for electricity in the Yukon are increasing faster than firm sources of renewable electricity can be built. The Yukon’s population is growing and, with it, the demand for electricity. As Yukoners continue to transition away from fossil fuels for heating and transportation, that demand will only rise.

In the next five years, Yukon Energy will focus on increasing the supply of dependable winter power to meet growing demands and build a stronger, more resilient power system. To do this, we know that thermal capacity, new substations and more transmission and distribution assets are required to meet the needs of Yukoners. While it might seem counterintuitive, thermal resources will play a crucial role in providing the stability needed to safely integrate more community solar and wind resources to the Yukon grid. 

On our path to 2050, we want the flexibility to be able to respond to our electricity needs and integrate emerging technologies as they become available. If we reach a point where these thermal assets are no longer required, we will be able to sell or move them, given their modular set-up.

The new Whitehorse Power Centres will serve three main purposes:

1. Increase the size of the Yukon’s electricity system and provide additional sources of dependable capacity that Yukoners can rely on during the winter to keep homes warm and lights lit on the coldest of days, in drought years, and when intermittent renewable resources are not available.
2. Reduce Yukon Energy’s reliance on rental diesels. Renting diesel units each winter, while cost-effective over a short period of time, comes with risks such as limited supply chain, lower reliability, and reliance on an external contractor for maintenance. The capacity installed at these new power centres will account for the capacity that rental diesels provide us each winter, plus additional capacity needed to address growing demands for power.
3. Provide the substation and transmission infrastructure needed to support the increased power Yukon Energy is expecting in each of these regions, and the potential for additional batteries to enhance grid stability and flexibility as more intermittent renewable resources are added to the grid.

Project plan

Yukon Energy will build two new thermal power centres and one new substation in the Whitehorse area to meet electricity needs until 2040. A site for a potential third thermal power centre, to be used as contingency, will also be assessed through the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA). Collectively, these four sites and each of their respective transmission connections to the Yukon grid make up the scope of this project. The power centres will provide up to 105 megawatts of winter capacity and nearly double the size of the Yukon’s winter power system. 

This work will be carried out in phases, starting with the YESAA assessment process in 2025.  

All sites for the Whitehorse Power Centres are located within the Traditional Territories of Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council, and the Municipality of Whitehorse or within rural areas directly adjacent to Whitehorse municipal boundaries. Yukon Energy has identified ten potential sites for the three generation centres and one site for the substation. These sites will be narrowed down prior to submitting our Project Proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board.

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