Whitehorse Power Centres Project
Yukon Energy will build two new thermal power centres, associated infrastructure like power lines, and one new substation in the Whitehorse area to meet the territory's electricity needs.
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 (diesel or LNG) power centres and one new substation in the Whitehorse area to meet electricity needs until 2040. The project will also include upgrades to the electricity system needed to connect the new power centres to the Yukon grid, as well as needed to modernize the grid with new automated technologies in the future. These upgrades will also help to reduce the likelihood of power outages in the Whitehorse area and help to restore them more quickly when they do happen. 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.
This work will be carried out in phases, starting with the YESAA assessment process in 2025.
| Completion phase | Description | Expected in-service date |
|---|---|---|
| South Power Centre Build | Construct south power centre with 15 MW of capacity. | Winter 2027 |
| North Power Centre Build |
|
Winter 2030 |
| Expand Power Centres | Add incremental capacity to the north power centre as needed and/or construct second north power centre if expansion of existing north power centre built in Phase 2 is not feasible or demand for power is expected to exceed capacity limits at the north site. | Winter 2035 |
Potential location options
All proposed site options 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.
North power centre options
1. KM 232 North Klondike Highway
2. Ta’an Kwäch’än Council (TKC) Deep Creek*
3. Haeckle Hill Gravel Pit
4. Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) Kulan*
5. Waste Management Facility
Substation site
6. Long Lake Road
South power centre options
7. McLean Lake Road
8. Copper Haul Road
9. Whitehorse Copper Mine
10. KDFN Sima Industrial Area*
11. KDFN Lorne Road*
*On settlement land
For more information, you can read the full Project Description on the YESAB online registry here.
Questions or Comments?
Attend an open house:
Thursday, August 14 at 6pm
Online. Link information to be shared August 13.
Tuesday, August 26 at 6pm
Sternwheeler Hotel, Whitehorse