During a recent severe cold spell in Yukon, residents heeded the call to reduce energy consumption, preventing the territory from facing an electricity shortage. The drop in temperatures on December 11 led to a decrease in power usage by three to five megawatts, as confirmed by Katherine Babcock, the Director of Maintenance at Yukon Energy Corporation. The territory’s power demand peaked at 123 megawatts during the cold snap and reached 127 megawatts by December 23, approaching the grid’s maximum capacity of around 140 megawatts.
Following an unexpected breakdown of an LNG generating plant on December 12, which strained the territory’s power reserves to over 91% capacity, authorities considered implementing rolling blackouts to conserve energy. However, this measure was not put into effect. To alleviate the strain, mining sites were instructed to generate their own power.
As temperatures moderated, energy consumption decreased to approximately 99 megawatts, representing 74% of the grid’s capacity. ATCO Electric Yukon increased staff readiness and deferred non-essential maintenance to prepare for potential future cold snaps. The company also intensified inspections of rural transmission lines to prevent outages caused by heavy snow and hazardous trees.
Yukon Energy’s reliance on rented diesel generators, providing 40 megawatts, underscores the need for enhanced permanent capacity. Despite an increase in electricity demand, the completion of a large-scale storage battery project to store excess hydro power for peak times faces challenges, including budget constraints. In the interim, the Whitehorse power centre project is underway to construct two new thermal power plants and a substation in Whitehorse.
Another initiative, the B.C. grid connect project, aims to link the Yukon to the western Canadian grid, albeit with significant cost and construction timelines. Babcock emphasized the importance of maintaining self-sufficiency in power supply, especially in the face of potential transmission line failures.
The recent collaboration by Yukon residents in reducing energy consumption highlights the community’s commitment to energy conservation and grid reliability during extreme weather events.