Question about the Fish Lake Hydro Facility | Monday, January 17, 2011

Today's question: Why does Yukon Electrical Company Limited operate the old Fish Lake Road hydro turbines, and not Yukon Energy?

It was Yukon Electrical Company Limited that built the Fish Lake hydro facility in 1949/50. Yukon Energy was formed in 1987 to take over the assets of the Northern Canada Power Commission. Those assets included the Whitehorse, Aishihik and Mayo hydro plants. They did not include the Fish Lake facility, since that plant remained in the hands of Yukon Electrical.

There have been discussions over the years about Yukon Energy taking over responsibility for all generation in the territory, including Fish Lake, and Yukon Electrical Company Limited taking over resonsibility for all distribution, which would include Dawson City, Faro, Mayo and a few smaller communities that are now directly served by Yukon Energy. However nothing has ever come of those talks.