Preparing for Winter Power Outages | Thursday, January 5, 2012

This week's power outages in Elsa and Keno prompted us to take another look a booklet we produced a few years ago in cooperation with the Yukon government's Emergency Measures Organization. This booklet focuses on what to do during winter power outages, but it will prepare you for a range of situations with the aim of lessening the negative impacts on your and your family.

Please take the time to give it a read, and share it with others who you think could benefit from the information.

Update on the Outage at Keno | Wednesday, January 4, 2012

It has been a difficult few days for people in Elsa and Keno. They have had a lengthy outage earlier this week, and a shorter one this morning. While the power is back on, we understand their frustration, and we want to apologize to them for these outages.

Here is some information to help you understand what has happened over the last few days. Be aware that Yukon Energy transmits the power to Elsa and Keno, and Yukon Electrical Company Ltd. distributes it to customers there (apart from the Alexco mine, which is Yukon Energy's customer). Both utilities have worked closely together to get power restored. Yukon Electrical Company brought in a stand-by diesel generator to Keno, but when it didn't function as it should have, Yukon Energy was able to offer one of our own back-up generators. We used it this morning to get the lights back on in Keno.

In terms of the transmission line, we believe the problem was caused by heavy snow; there have been snow storms in the area over the last several days. We flew the line yesterday and couldn't find anything else that could have been the culprit. We are flying the line again today, this time using fault detectors to help us troubleshoot. They are devices that can be hung on sections of the line and will flash when there is a fault. They help us pinpoint a problem.

Again, we want to apologize to residents and businesses that have been affected by these outages and to assure you we are working as diligently as we can to get the transmission system restored to proper working order.

Outage in Keno | Tuesday, January 3, 2012

For those in Keno City who are currently experiencing a power outage, please know that we are doing everything we can to restore service to you. We have a crew flying over the Elsa line right now to try to find the problem. Also, we are assisting your service provider, Yukon Electrical Company Limited, by delivering another stand-by generator to your community. It should be there by mid-afternoon today.

One way or another, you should have power restored within the next few hours.

Round Two of Our Southern Lakes Workshops | Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Before Christmas we hosted two workshops in Marsh Lake that focussed on the Marsh Lake Storage Concept. We have two more planned for late this month and early next.

WORKSHOP 3: Erosion Effects
The purpose of this workshop is to provide technical information about potential shoreline erosion in relation to the enhanced storage concept.

Saturday, January 21, 2012
12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Marsh Lake Community Centre

WORKSHOP 4: Aquatics and Terrestrial Effects
The purpose of this workshop is to provide technical information about the existing Southern Lakes ecosystem in relation to current water management, and to discuss the potential effects of aquatic and terrestrial species and habitats in relation to the enhanced storage concept.

Saturday, February 4, 2012
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Marsh Lake Fire Hall

Door prizes, food and refreshments will be provided at all workshops.

We are offering free transportation to Carcross and Tagish residents wishing to attend either of these workshops.

To arrange a ride or for more information, call (867) 393-5333, email communications@yukonenergy.ca, or send us a note through this blog.